Off-grid Passive House runs entirely on solar in Colorado

Through freezing winter nights and blistering-hot summer days, this custom Colorado home stays a livable 67-77 degrees Fahrenheit—without a conventional heating or cooling system. It’s also the state’s most energy-efficient abode. How? It all comes down to designing with Passive House standards, which ensures the home is properly sealed from external air and temperatures, making the interior exceptionally stable.

The home’s owner, Andrew Michler, is a Passive Home consultant. So when it came time to design his own off-grid residence, Michler knew how to do it right. Stylistically inspired by Japanese architecture and the local terrain, he created an asymmetrical two-bedroom home complete with an office, living room, kitchen, and a hammock-style lofted hangout.

As the state’s first certified Passive House, the building speaks energy-efficiency from the inside out. A few of the most important passive elements are its triple-paned-windows (especially since about 20 percent of the south wall is glass), fresh air exchanger, and non-toxic building materials including plywood, timber, and insulation made of cellulose and wool. The interior is sparely furnished, with exposed plywood floors and paneling offering the strongest design feature. Read more about the home on Inhabitat.

Via: Inhabitat, Baosol