Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

The main goal of the owners was to reduce the operational energy use of the home radically. Despite being 3,397 square feet, the Madrona Passive House was able to achieve Passive House standards, which is widely considered to be the most rigorous building standard. 

How? Heating and cooling a home is typically the largest energy user, so limiting heat transfer between the inside and outside of the home naturally reduces the heating and cooling loads. As with most passive homes, it’s primarily about the building envelope and the home’s orientation towards the sun to capture and retain heat.

The Madrona home’s airtight building envelope is surrounded by thick structural foam insulation along the retaining walls and along with the structural slab below the house. Since the home is essentially floating, this helps to eliminate thermal bridging issues from the foundation. High-density cellulose cavity insulation, a mineral wool insulation board on the exterior, and ZIP system™ sheathing for air-tightness help to optimize the thermal performance of the home. 

Water—Inside and Out

In terms of water use and recycling, the Madrona Passive House has a green roof on the garage, an effective rainwater harvesting system from the main roof of the home, and permeable pavement for the driveway and other hardscapes on the property. The combination of these three elements helps to reduce the amount of damaging stormwater run-off while also mitigating erosion issues that can occur due to the steep slope. The landscape of the home is planted with drought-tolerant plants that are periodically irrigated from water captured by two large cisterns that are fed by the roof of the house.

It’s How You Live in the Home that Really Matters

To correctly manage and operate the energy-efficient design of the home, the owners benefit from a circuit-by-circuit energy monitoring system with an easy-to-use dashboard interface. This allows them to monitor their current energy use and identify patterns in how the home utilizes energy throughout the day and the seasons in order to further increase the energy performance of the building.

Over years of occupancy, the owners discovered the best way to keep their passive house running efficiently. Like all sustainable and energy-efficient homes, the process of living in the home reveals the best strategies and techniques for optimum performance. The owners are encouraged to continue to find ways to minimize their energy consumption.