Eastern Panhandle to Be Home of First Phius Design-Certified Passive House in the State
The Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia is set to host the state’s first Phius (Passive House Institute US) design-certified passive house, a project led by architect Mark Bowe. This energy-efficient home, located in Shepherdstown, will feature advanced insulation, airtight construction, and high-performance windows to minimize energy consumption and environmental impact. The initiative aims to promote sustainable building practices in the region and serve as a model for future eco-friendly residential developments.
According to the Journal, this home is special to them for a number of reasons, such as that it will be the first home they have built and that it will be in a walkable town that has already begun to feel like home to them. However, for the Porters, the most exciting thing about their new home will be the fact that it is a passive house — an energy-efficient home, constructed with comfort, affordability and the need to keep a low carbon footprint in mind.
“The Porter residence is a great example of a passive house,” said architect Richard Pedranti, who designed the project. “Passive houses are really still a boutique kind of approach to designing a home here in the U.S. In Europe, they say they have half a million homes built to the passive house standard. In North America, it’s probably less than 50,000.”