Passive House

POSTGREEN-Passive House-Different, Responsible, Better

Postgreen Homes, a passive house designing and building company of homes of the future using Zero Energy! This award winning, young company brought a range of fabulous passive house designs and construction  projects to the neighborhoods of Philadelphia that have average annual energy bills of $179. The Postgreen focus is not on more bedrooms, more bathrooms or more square feet. Their homes do not try to mimic the past; do not aim for mass appeal. They are something different, something more responsible, something better.

Company President, Chad Ludeman, CFO Courtney Ludeman and CMO, Nic Darling might not be designing the home for everyone, but they believe in their work and they know there are a lot of people out there who see things their way. Postgreen homes are for those people no longer interested in the race for more stuff and a bigger place to store it. They are  building homes for many, many lifestyles that don't mesh with the majority of homes being built by traditional contractors believing instead that size isn't everything, quality is affordable and every home should be energy efficient, healthy, well designed and good to the earth.

WHY YOU'LL WANT ONE

1. You would like to have energy bills of $0. This could be because you understand that saving energy saves money. It could be because you aspire to save the planet. It could be a bit of both. Postgreen homes are designed to the Passive House standard and are at least 80% more efficient than the average new code built home. This translates to exceptionally low energy costs and a much smaller impact on the planet.
2. You want to live in a healthy environment. This seems like a no brainer, but you would be surprised how few people take this into account when buying a home. The average American home's indoor air quality is at least twice as bad as the air outside the home. This is true even if you live in a polluted city. By using low VOC and formaldehyde-free products and finishes whenever possible they significantly reduce the amount of chemical off-gassing. Postgreen mechanically ventilates homes to make sure stale, unhealthy air never sits inside where you can breath it.
3. You value interesting, high quality design. You might be simply tired of cookie-cutter architecture or have a strong viceral hatred for things like fake dormer windows or knock-off crown molding. We understand. Those beautiful old homes everyone admires were "modern" at one point. It is time to understand that and create the classics of the future. We use only the best, professional architects to design our homes, and we have already seen them win awards for their work on our homes. Professional design is something everyone deserves, and we intend to give it to you.
4. You don't want to pay a premium for what should be standard. Postgreen believes that all homes should be sustainable, healthy and professionally designed. This isn't green building. It is simply responsible, quality building, and you shouldn't pay a premium for that.
   
5. You want a home built by people who strive to price their homes for less than or equal to the going rate for new construction in the area in which they are built. Their goal is to consistently improve our processes and cut our costs to offer more and more home for that same price. Here's more>>
   

Full Specs in Every Postgreen Home

These specifications are subject to change depending on conditions in the field. We have included all the non-variable items in this list.

PASSIVE ENERGY

Solar Thermal Hot Water - The sun heats your water for free

Air-tight construction - Keep your cash from leaking thru the cracks in your home

Triple Pane Windows - These blow those double panes out of their jambs

Min R-30 Walls - Keep that cold out

Min R-50 Roof - Keep that heat in

Solar Exterior Window Shades - Block 70% of  summer heat for free

Solatube Skylight - Light your bathroom with the sun, not your wallet

ACTIVE ENERGY

High Efficiency Air-to-Air Heat Pump - Near geothermal efficiency at a fraction of the cost

95% Efficient ERV - Bring fresh air in at same temp/humidity as indoor air

Induction Cooktop - Boil water in 90 seconds with 2x efficiency of gas

Energy Star Appliances - Boring, but we have to mention it

High Efficiency Condensing Washer/Dryer - Clean clothes without the hole in your roof

100% CFL Lighting - Who likes tiny electric bills? You, that’s who.

Ceiling Fans - Keeps you cool at a fraction of the cost of A/C

WATER

Low Flow Showerhead - Use less water cleaning your filthy self

Low Flow Faucets - Turning them off is up to you

Dual Flush Toilets - Water use determined by “situation”

Rainwater Collection - Water your garden with water from your roof

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

Low-VOC Flooring - Cool floors. Less poison.

Low-VOC cabinets - Pappajohn loves your lungs

Low-VOC Paints and Finishes - Gives your home a crisp, new, non-toxic smell

MERV-10 Air Filter - Filter your air 24/7/365

Mechanical Ventilator - Replace your stale air with fresh automatically

CERTIFICATIONS AND TEAMMATES

ISA Designed - Mad architectural skills with the hardware to back it up

Bryan Hanes Landscaping - Most backyards aren’t designed by a pro and it shows

LEED for Homes - Sustainability with credibility

Passive House - Insulation inspired by German engineering

Awesomeness - Yes, we have lots of that built in

According to The Passive House Institute, the concept represents today's highest energy standard of slashing the heating energy consumption of buildings by an amazing 90%. Widespread application of the Passive House design would have a dramatic impact on energy conservation. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows that buildings are responsible for 48% of greenhouse gas emissions annually and 76% of all electricity generated by U.S. power plants goes to supply the Building Sector [Architecture2030]. It has been abundantly clear for some time that the Building Sector is a primary contributor of climate-changing pollutants, and the question is asked: How do we best square our building energy needs with those of our environment and of our pocketbook? In the realm of super energy efficiency, the Passive House presents an intriguing option for new and retrofit construction; in residential, commercial, and institutional projects.

A Passive House is a very well-insulated, virtually air-tight building that is primarily heated by passive solar gain and by internal gains from people, electrical equipment, etc. Energy losses are minimized. Any remaining heat demand is provided by an extremely small source. Avoidance of heat gain through shading and window orientation also helps to limit any cooling load, which is similarly minimized. An energy recovery ventilator provides a constant, balanced fresh air supply. The result is an impressive system that not only saves up to 90% of space heating costs, but also provides a uniquely terrific indoor air quality.

A Passive House is a comprehensive system. "Passive" describes well this system's underlying receptivity and retention capacity. Working with natural resources, free solar energy is captured and applied efficiently, instead of relying predominantly on ‘active’ systems to bring a building to ‘zero’ energy. High performance triple-glazed windows, super-insulation, an airtight building shell, limitation of thermal bridging and balanced energy recovery ventilation make possible extraordinary reductions in energy use and carbon emission.

Today, many in the building sector have applied this concept to design, and build towards a carbon-neutral future. Over the last 10 years more than 15,000 buildings in Europe - from single and multifamily residences, to schools, factories and office buildings - have been designed and built or remodeled to the passive house standard. A great many of these have been extensively monitored by the Passiv Haus Institut in Darmstadt,EU Commision’s intent to implement the Passive House Standard.). analyzing and verifying their performance. Even governmental agencies have adopted passive house standards in their policy-making (read more about the