'Passive' houses gain ground in Oregon

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Sarah Evans and Stuart Rue's Passive House in Salem.

In a state that prides itself on embracing green building, it's no surprise that an up-and-coming standard for energy-efficiency in construction is gaining a foothold.

Originating in Germany in the 1990s, the Passive House standard promises energy usage reduction of 90 percent through use of air-tight construction and efficient use of the sun's warmth and other methods of heat recovery. The Passive standard is getting attention after a high-profile story in the New York Times over the weekend.

The first new-construction Passive House on the West Coast was built in Salem. The Fifth Annual North American Passive House Conference will be held in Portland in November. And at least one Portland design build firm is betting on Passive House construction to drive revenue back out of a post-recession trough.

In May, Sarah Evans and Stuart Rue moved into their home in Salem. The first new construction to earn Passive House certification on the West Coast, the house exceeded the couple's expectations when it came to wanting to live in a green home. The couple details their experiences with the house on a blog.

Built by Bilyeu Homes Inc., Evans said the house cost only 6 percent more than a typical custom home. Instead of a furnace, the home features a ductless heat pump. A passive solar hot water heater helps keep energy consumption to a minimum.

"I'm really excited about winter," said Evans, who is eager to see how the airtight construction keeps the drafts away and the energy bills low.

Blake Bilyeu, owner of Bilyeu Homes, filmed an interview at the house earlier this year that was posted last month on the blog for Serious Materials, a California company that makes airtight windows.

"Serious Materials is the one company that makes windows that meet the Passive House standard in the United States," said Stephen Aiguier, president and founder of Portland-based Green Hammer, a design build firm that is staking its future on the Passive House trend.

Green Hammer has four staff members, including Aiguier, who went through training at the Passive House Institute U.S. in Urbana, Ill. One new employee, Dylan Lamar, was hired to translate the Passive standard out of the original German.

"Nothing compares globally to this kind of construction," Aiguier said. "If I'm going to be building homes that last for 100 years, there is no logic to pursue anything else."

Green Hammer has five passive projects in the work. The first, a design project, should be certified before the end of the year. The 19-employee company, which also does weatherization work, is extremely busy.

Aiguier said his business had its best year in 2008 before the economy's bottom dropped out. He was near $4 million in revenue that year, a figure that dipped to $1.8 million last year. The slow time allowed the firm to dig deep on Passive House standards.

It's starting to pay off, Aiguier said. Demand for the expertise is strong and he expects to reach toward $3 million in revenue this year.

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