CT Passive House

Construction was completed on this 2,500 sf house and studio in Southern Connecticut. The house follows Passive House standards, meaning a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, reducing its ecological footprint. It results in an ultra-low energy building requiring little energy for space heating or cooling. The strategy of a Passive House is to reuse “free” heat to heat the home. CES designed a mechanical ventilation system with an air to air heat recovery component to simultaneously bring in fresh air and remove the same amount of stale air. The stale air leaving the house is carrying the “free” heat. The house features an 8Kw solar array, (2) VRV heat pumps, carbon dioxide hot water heat pump for hot water and Zehnder ventilation system.