MIDDLESEX PASSIVE HOUSE RECEIVES
“BEST OF THE BEST” AWARD
FROM EFFICIENCY VERMONT
Burlington: On Wednesday, Feb. 4, Efficiency Vermont will present members of Montpelier Construction with three awards, including “Best of the Best for Innovation in a New Residential Construction” for the Whitchurch Passive House Cottage in Middlesex.
This single-family dwelling, completed in 2014, utilizes the latest in construction, insulation and sealing techniques to achieve the Passive House standard, the highest building performance standard in the world today, surpassing Energy Star and LEED. It is also the only Passive House timberframe in the state.
The Passive House Cottage is the home of Norman and Evelyn Whitchurch, formerly of Akron, Ohio. Barbara and Gregory Whitchurch decided to build an accessible, easy-to-maintain home for his parents rather than see them go into assisted living in Ohio. Upon viewing the Whitchurch design ideas, a member of the design-build team, Indigo Ruth-Davis, commented: “What you’re talking about is a Passive House.” Ruth-Davis had just completed training as a PHIUS Certified Passive House Consultant. He and his company partner, Chris Miksic, a PHIUS Certified Passive House Builder with Montpelier Construction, were in charge of building the home.
Reducing building energy usage is a major component of reaching the energy and climate goals set by Vermont and the federal government. This home has no heating plant and uses less energy than a common hair dryer for heating, during even our coldest nights. Its energy usage, including heating, cooling, hot water and electricity, are less than one tenth of that of a standard “building code” home.
Several members of the Vermont Chapter of the Passive House Alliance will be recognized with awards at The Better Buildings by Design Conference this year, including builders, consultants, designers, and homeowners.
This annual conference will be held at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center in Burlington on Feb. 4 and 5, 2015, from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Awards will be presented on the morning of Feb. 4, following the keynote address. The keynote and the awards presentations are free and open to the public. The press is invited to attend.
For more information about the conference: https://www.efficiencyvermont.com/for-our-partners/Better-Buildings-by-Design/Overview.
For more information about the home: http://phausvt.org/projects/whitchurch-cottage-middlesex
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