Build Tight but Ventilate Right
Great article - well done to Sam.
A lot of comments above concerned with issues around indoor air quality. As someone who has lived in a Certified Passive House for over 8 years, let me reassure you that the air quality is really superb. It is well known that air quality in an airtight house with a ventilation system is way better than a normal leaky house. A typical example would be carbon dioxide concentration in bedrooms which in a normal house will climb towards 2,000 PPM at night, but only reach 800 PPM in a Passive House. By the way, international norms suggest that indoor air quality is lessened where carbon dioxide exceeds 1,200 PPM. Hence the subject line of this comment, built tight, but ventilate right!
One other comment, the Passive House Academy is accredited by the Global Passivhaus Institut as a Passive House Building Certifier and is working on several projects all over the US.
Be smart - build Passive.
Tomas O'Leary, MD, Passive House Academy
