Daily Magazine

Passive Houses are built according to a rigorous series of design principles that promote efficiency.

The basic building block of a certified Passive House is a virtually airtight, superinsulated envelope that prevents the infiltration of outside air and the loss of conditioned air. Because joints and cracks aren’t a sufficient source of fresh air, Passive Houses are equipped with a ventilator that takes heat from the stale exhaust air and transfers it to the air that is being drawn in from the outside. (In summer, the process reverses, with the cool inside air pretreating the hot intake air before being vented outside.) Passive Houses also are positioned to capture the sun’s natural heating capabilities in the winter while minimizing solar gain in the summer.

The Solar Decathlon China 2013 is a competition that challenges collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are Net Zero, affordable, energy-efficient and attractive.

Summer 2013 will be the first year that a team from Israel will participate in the competition, and their design incorporates passive design features, creating an improved thermal envelope to maintain a comfortable interior environment. Windows, walls, and floors collect, store, and distribute solar energy as heat in the winter and reject heat in the summer...

Since 2002, the Solar Decathlon has involved over 90 teams and influenced thousands of collegiate participants in interdisciplinary research, design and construction of energy-efficient, solar-powered houses.