Why Do American Homes Suck?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ย. 2023
- Why Do American Homes Suck? ft. @buildshow Get an exclusive Surfshark deal! Enter promo code UNDECIDED for an extra 3 months free at surfshark.deals/undecided. In the process of building my new home, I’ve heard time and time again from many of you that my home’s highly energy efficient features are considered standard in other areas of the world. From the type of window construction to the method of heating water, there’s plenty of room for improvement. But when tech that goes beyond standard here in the U.S. is par for the course elsewhere, this begs the question…why do American homes suck, especially compared to European ones? And what can we do to make them better?
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You admitted that the construction is poor and maybe that's your area
but you also needed to admit the material fact that these are the worst investments in the entire world us real estate is the worst investment because they have the worst construction because they haven't been updated in over forty years
and because they are the most expensive😢
Then we are still leaving out Community Transportation Etc and America fails miserably with all of these I can go into detail but what's the point it's never going to change without a revolution
Sorry, but you still keep omitting time frames. You save 5K+ compared to houses in your area in a year? Month, 10 years, 50 years?
somewhere in the 'Earthship' stuff, books or website, (I can't remember which) was a section on turning standard American house to 'Earthship' standards.
Americain houses are made of wood. Which is stupid apart from the heat loss. You get a lttle bit of wind and your house blows down! Edinburgh, Scotland. Has buildings made from blocks of stone, like a castle. Here for last few hundred years, and next 1000 years! Plus they look amazing!
Just wondering… I’m just wondering with all your bells and whistles on your house… how much did the house cost to build? (Ball park is ok too) if you don’t want to say I completely understand
I can confirm that at least all somewhat new buildings in Germany are insulated like crazy. Last winter we had the natural gas crisis because of Russia's invasion, so we were worried about 10fold prices. Fortunately, we did not need to use the heater once. Our flat was never cooler than 20°C. Other benefits of insulation is noise reduction, which is really nice if you live close to a busy street or near an airport
What were the temperatures in the area? Florida wouldn't have to worry about heating prices either
@chiquita683 in the winter it is common to get 0 degrees in the hotter zones of Germany and -10 in the colder ones. So I'd say ~-2 as an average
Oh that's great. I live in a well insulated home in Northern Ontario (triple pane windows etc). Sadly if we lose power I've calculated that the interior temp would hit 0 C in under 3 days when the outside temp is - 40 C.
Last time Russia invaded Germany was 1945. .How did that event raise prices in fall of 2021?
@@andreycham4797
bro…
i have also found that a lot of people think insulation is only for cold climates but it works just as well in hot climates, keeping the house cold on the inside and keeping the heat out
Especially with AC
We know it here in New Orleans, my power bill nearly triples in the summer from running the AC alone. it's just that replacing all the windows in a home built in the 60s would be over $20K. Making an old house energy efficient means making a LOT of changes.
@@Blaquer17 now i dont know your economic situation but wouldn't that be a worth while investment? A one time payment to pay less for AC during summer? Depending on how it all fit together it may pay itself back in 10-20 years if not faster. Also if/when you at some point decide to sell your house it would increase the value right (ofc it is unlikely you will get all your investment back but some of it at least)?
*insulation
It’s more expensive to hear a house than to cool it
I came from Finland to Michigan in winter and was shocked when I felt the breeze indoors in the first house I visited. Leaky single pane windows in the northern states, what the hell?
I couldn't help noticing other sources of waste: the bus driver left the engine running when he went on a coffee break and my friend didn't even think to stop the engine while fixing his flat tire. One time the stairwell in my dormitory was heated so well that the door handle was literally hot. Even flushing the toilet seemed to use neverending amounts of water. At the university diner I had to bring my own fork, because I got tired of eating with disposable plastic forks.
unlikely they were single pane. more likely: the breeze was from every un-sealed joint at every juncture/plane.
my parents' house was built in 1948 and has double pane windows ... that you can feel wind around the frame. and external corners. and where the walls meet the roof. etc.
(when we lived Germany, my boss in late '90s drove a BMW 7-series that was 4 cylinder. gorgeous car, fwiw.)
Keljulvan_ Sometimes people like you make simple minded assumptions, for instance, on some vehicles, like that diesel bus, the price of the starter and battery are so high that it is sometimes better to leave the engine running for a short time than cause more wear on those expensive items. Also, not everywhere has a water shortage problem, and setting national standards to save water is just stupid, it should be left up to local and state governments.
@@JohnSmith-ti2kp Well they had all the time in the world to do it, if they don't I would want a federal one if I were a citizen.
The fork thing I feel. Less for the pollution and more how they break apart on anything harder than jello.
possible that the diner purposely used plastic bc uni students are (sorry, no offense) notorious for stealing utensils (because new to renting)
an actual diner would prefer regular (metal) forks bc it's cheaper ... unless the students keep stealing them
One thing I love about my windows is that besides open and tilt, they have a third opening mode, were you tilt the window only by a few degrees, creating an opening about 1...2 cm (roughly half an inch up to an inch) at the upper side of the frame that allows for air circulation with less heat loss than when fully tilted.
Like every window in Europe, it's not some wonder, better thing about european windows is that you can live near road, and not hearing trafic, if We shut window down, there is no breeze to feel, double glass with vacuum inside, soundproof and keeps heat inside, or cool air in the summer.
That is not a good way to ventilate your house. It's best to just fully open the windows for a few minutes on opposing sides of the house to create a draft thus quickly pulling in fresh outdoor air. Just do that a few times a day. Keeping a window slightly open would be akin to keeping your fridge slightly ajar.
I built a home four years ago. I was unable to find a bulider in my area with passive home building experience. I chose a builder who advertised himself as a green builder. However, he seemed to focus on things like counter tops, roofing, and flooring. I was the one who initiated energy efficient features in my house. I was unable to afford solar panels, but I insulated the house well (2x6 on exterior walls), chose energy efficient appliances and a tankless water heater, and built the house on a slab so I didn't have to heat/cool a basement. For half the year my electric bills are in the $40 to $50 range for my 2364 sq ft home. My next door neighbor's are $200 to $300. My gas bill is $12.00 to $15.00 per month, $10.00 of which is for the privilege of having a gas acccount. Even if you don't build a net zero home, you can make affordable improvements.
I'm curious, why did you choose a tankless water heater?
Water is heated only when I need it instead of using fuel to keep water heated 24/7. @@rikwisselink-bijker
@@rikwisselink-bijker it's a lot more water and power efficient, if not wrong... there's no need to heat a tank of hot water when you could have a flowing lukewarm water from the tankless that does a similar thing
@@rikwisselink-bijker It's a bit of a trade-off. If you use a lot of hot water all the time, probably go with a tank. If you only use it a bit, definitely tankless. Tankless also has the upside of never running cold. When all the kids come home and sit in the shower, it's till hot.
You realize that basements are the most energy efficient right? Your reasoning make zero sense.
Architect Here - I love studying energy design and try to implement it into projects. It always comes down to cost. Many clients embrace the money saved over time with energy efficient designs if they know they will be living in the house for decades. Developers on the other hand can and will never be bothered. Code builds through and through and pass energy operation costs onto the buyers/ renters.
Greed is the reason American houses suck so much.
Capitalism only incentivizes profit, so even though e every efficient homes would benefit everyone by reducing energy consumption, and in turn cost and pollution, we will never see it because it hurts the profits of a few.
Ridiculous
Gotta love how capitalism disrupts progress to a better future. Without a profit motive our housing code will never change.
Not to mention that in America we have this nasty habit of treating homes (and cars for that matter) like commodities and investments rather than a place to live. You get a “starter home” and then 3-5 years later you rent it out or sell it for a bigger house. Which exacerbates the issue of not wanting to have higher cost initially for better insulation and energy efficient appliances
Agreed, US building codes suck and cities require homes that are too big to be efficient. I built my own home with 2x6 walls, super insulated and can heat, cook and heat water for about a dollar a day with propane. I have 1.2Kw of solar and I have most modern conveniences. Houses in the US are also not positioned to make use of solar and roof designs are not designed for solar. I use a ground mount solar system that allows positioning and easier to do maintenance and cleaning.
US homes do not design n passive solar and natural cooling like porches, smaller windows and cross ventilation so they need huge AC units. I cool my entre house with a 45 watt evap cooler.
Banks want traditional houses and builders want to build cheap and fast to make a profit!
Cost is a common excuse for american building... The amount of money wasted during building is insane. The lifetime cost of an american house is also much higher than a properly built home.... "but its so expensive" is the common excuse I always hear and its BS.
It's all about return on investment (ROI) vs. houses "sucking". Our natural gas costs are $2-$3/MMBtu vs about $10/MMBtu in Europe pre Ukrainian war and now $20 post war -- even higher pricing in the winter. So if our energy was 10X more expensive, it would justify the additional insulation and sealing costs.
Also, I live in a 70+ year old house and my total energy bills (nat gas + electric) is about $3000 annually for a 2200 square foot house. So I really can't comprehend how some organization is saying that you will "save" $5900 annually (11:43) on what looks to be a similar sized house as mine.
this is absolutely right. my total utility bill for a year for a similar sized home is less than $3,000. clearly you could spend money on efficiency or invest money and resources and getting fuel cheaper. we can do both The return on investment would take decades.
I don't think it's annually but not sure how long he's referencing. Maybe over the mortgage or expected life of the home? My 1,800 sq foot home that is 65 years old only costs me $5-600 per year in energy costs. If I was to remodel with his techniques, the home wouldn't pay for the work for 100 years.
Its Massachussets guys. Been living there. Costs of utilities there just insane, like biggest in US even for Cali. Electricity in some town like 40c. Now you compare 13c in your state and 40c in his.
@@alexkrokhov9652you gotta love people talking about "cost savings" while using their highly inflated costs to everyone as a whole.
I looked into solar panels for my house a while ago... because my electricity is fairly cheap (and we don't get lots of sun), even the cheapest solar panels would require 30 years to breakeven.
@@alexkrokhov9652 sounds like the most efficient thing to do is not build in a place where electricity is so expensive.
As someone living in a van because of the cost of housing I think getting the cost of housing down is the biggest issue right now. Yes energy efficiency is important but not being able to afford a heatpump is also important.
That’s what gets left out of this. If we cared about energy efficiency we would go nuclear. That should be our focus, not increasing insulation.
I recently replaced my gas furnace... I created a spreadsheet to compare all the heatpumps and gas furnaces by the approximate amount of heating needed and the monthly average temperature...
Since there are currently no gas-powered heatpumps, the heat pumps actually saved ZERO $ simply because of the immense amount of power it would need to heat the home in the winter (when it was least efficient).
There's a reason why almost nobody uses heat pumps in the northern US.
Good video! I'm from Northern Europe and used to high quality houses (and design), and then I became a homeowner in Texas. A construction home from 2010. Since 80-90% of my electricity bill is keeping the house cool with AC, I was shocked to see things like the front door and other exterior doors had wide and visible gaps between the door and frame, and virtually no form of insulation. Not only letting the cool air escape, but also letting bugs walk in.
I've seen these gaps around doors on so many US made films/TV shows and always thought they were just thrown together film sets.
This explains a lot.
Wtf !
I am from Norway myself but have lived some time in Vietnam and this annoys me to pieces! All windows and doors have visible gaps, some big enough to fit my finger! They got spiders, snakes and mosquitos and not to cheap electricity. When my nordic body moved from -5c to 35c, AC is an absolute must!
@@NorwegianCrazyGuy😂
I worked in Texas for some time; coming from Western Europe, I was really surprised to find single glass windows, super hot aluminium window frames which you could not touch without getting burnt whilst at the same time you had to keep the airco on day and night; I had co-workers that said that without airco your house will simply collapse, termites will enter etc just unbelieveable for Europeans
I've been working as a residential energy rater in the South Eastern US for about 7 years now. I would never buy a production house in the US. From inadequate local codes to builders trying to maximize profits, it's a nightmare out there for a prospective buyer. Someday when I have enough money I'll build my over engineered masterpiece of energy efficiency and climate resilience. Keep the great content coming!
The large production home builders really put the K in Quality here in the US, especially when it comes to the thermal envelope.
You said it... "when I have enough money"
@@WaltTaylorau Right?! It's already going to cost more than any comparably sized house 😅
E.X.A.C.T.L.Y.
We did just that seeing that the cost of an ICF home in this market is not as much more expensive as some would have you believe.
Great to see someone making this thing to get some air! I have been watching videos from builders at states making houses and as an carpenter from Finland, have been questioning myself how your houses can be warm enough at the winter?
I understood that in some areas at states must be same kinda climate as it is here, like normal winter day could be -20°C and nights can easily be -30°C , sometimes -40°C.
Typically our houses have +/- 30cm insulation on walls, with all these insulations we the wall itself can be 40cm thick. A lot depends what's the structure, our doors are insulated as well, some "thermo" doors are up to 10cm thick, basic outside doors are 5-7cm. Windows are standard triple glazed, and nowadays there are also 4-glazed "thermo" windows. All windows and doors have minimum of 2 layer sealants, some have 3.
Also there is up to 50cm insulation layer at the top of the house, at the addict, 30-40cm layer of insulation at below the floor, additional to this there may be some +20cm insulation below the house itself inside the gravel bed to keep all the pipes from freezing.
Greetings from Finland 💪😎
40 cm almost 16 inches.
Houses in the US are usually built differently depending on where u are at in the country houses built in the far north are much better t with standing colder temperatures where as houses in the South are designed to keep people cool
The US is wildly geographically diverse, so most of the relevant regulations are at the state level rather than nationally. Northern midwest & northeast states have building codes closer to what you mention, but a lot of the southeast is hot swamp so a house that's too well-sealed becomes a breeding ground for mold.
I think it would be difficult to make a national code for insulation. for instance, my brother does not have a heater, and leaves the windows open year round. then on my side, somehow my well pump still managed to freeze during the winter with the heat going in its little insulated shack
I am from the EU, the Netherlands to be exact.... And our current problem is the fact that government regulations make things like building a net zero house near impossible for the average citizen.
What would be really cool is if you would create some sort of compiled list of things you did to achieve this net zero home. From the vendors you went through and the technologies they provide to the components you chose personally and why. I know making a video series is probably more lucrative than just handing that information out freely but after the project is complete, it would be nice to see something like that.
But then you would see the bill.
@@foxvulpes8245 He’s perfectly welcome to redact any information he doesn’t feel comfortable sharing.
@@foxvulpes8245 It's obviously at least 30% more expensive in the beginning.
Talk to good trades. We know how to do it, not the people selling priducts.
Great video Matt. Some additional comments to think about:
1/ Americans don’t live in their homes long. On average Americans move every ~7 years, where Europeans live in their homes much longer. Often generational homes. So operational cost is not considered and home improvement projects often don’t pencil out in < 7 years.
2/ The US surprisingly still has a lot of open land, and is not as densely populated as Europe. So it’s often easier and less expensive to move slightly further outside the city and build new.
3/ The skill level for builders and the skilled trades I would argue is better in Europe than the US. The trades are viewed as second class in the states, but not the case in Europe. For example, in Germany, many technicians have the equivalent of an engineering degree. This is changing, but we are still behind.
4/ The growth of solar and better performing buildings is directly related to the cost of energy. Some areas of the US pay more than $0.30/kWh for electricity, but other areas pay $0.05/kWh or less. This is a 6X change in energy cost for the same house in the same climate, meaning that states with the highest utility costs will see the most energy upgrades!
As mortgage rates in the US approach the range of 7-8% for the foreseeable future, it's likely US homeowners will stay put for longer than they used to, especially for many homeowners who have fixed mortgages at or under 4%. This might lead to renewed interest in operational costs and higher expectations from homebuilders.
I can attest to that. I was fortunate to get a 3.4% apr. on my mortgage and intend on living in it for as long as I can. I'm constantly thinking about ways to make my home more energy efficient. I'd like to add solar and a hybrid heat pump HVAC system in the near future.
valid remarks, but the 1st. Even if one moves every 7 year, you still will be living in SOME house, somewhere and therefor all houses should be better built.
I wanted to add a fifth point. Relatively mild climates for much of the country. I live in a mixed zone, so keeping the house warm and cool is pretty simple most of the year.
First point is kinda understandable, since many Americans live in areas with tornadoes/earthquakes happen. Although, with a house properly built, there is high possibility, it would survive some tornado activity, which would otherwise move them with the house.
Canadian here. Good program sir, and I hope many folks find your podcast. I thought you’d find it interesting to know where PassiveHaus actually began as a tested concept. It was the Province of Saskatchewan’s research centre that first built and tested a net zero house in the early 1980’s. The man who led the charge was Harold Orr. After the provincial government shelved the research project, the German government obtained the research data and ran with more research and code development. I am an architect in my 70’s and practiced in Saskatchewan. Today I dabble in small energy efficient housing in eastern Ontario. Every one of my houses targets an ACH50 rate of 0.6. Walls are R32, roofs R70. Triple glazing. As much as possible I eliminate basements. I
Keep up the good work.
How much would say a 2000 SF house with 4BR, 2-3BA cost to build? Guessing in the $800k USD range? I feel like direct costs were not mentioned here in this video.
What? Why no basement? Note: I am from Germany, so double and tripple glazed windows are the norm here (hell: My parents ripped out the windows in their old - it was built in the 30s! - house and the ones they had were already double glazed!)...as are basements and they are nice to have! Very cool in summer! Hell, I am debating trying to get a LAN-Connection to my apartment, because then I could stay in the basement in summer and take my laptop there, as it is quite hot up here (house built in the 60s, so it's a heat trap in summer!)
As a home builder in Kentucky for over 25 years I can say we have done a bad job of even giving energy a thought. Our state is looking at adopting the 2021 IECC but it will exclude many things in certain. Recently as a company we’ve began to view this much differently. Our business is custom home building and as a rule our customers are more open to spending in the name of efficiency, but i do understand where spec home builders struggle with this. Great video.
On the other hand. As a European, I am amazed that houses are so cheap in the US, and that it seems (from TV building shows) that it is simply cheaper to tear down a 30 year old house and build a new house, instead of renovating it.
Also, houses in the UK are similar to the US. It's mind-boggling really. And in southern Europe, climate sets differently challenges and realities from northern Europe.
One thing that amazes me beyond anything though, is the lack of solar. In Scandinavia it's installed everywhere. On house roofs, in fields, on industrial properties. And for context. Southern Europe is on the same latitude as Northern US. Madrid is on the same latitude as New York! Up in the Arctic we have more solar than Southern US.
Energy is generally cheaper in the US. Why go solar when you're looking at many decades to recoop the cost? Solar coming down so much in price has certain spawned solar installations in some parts of the US where energy isn't that cheap, but there's a long way to go before other parts of the US with very cheap energy will go for it.
US houses are not cheap,European houses are expensive/ taxes,government regulations/
UK is an embarrassment. The Conservative Party is a basket of pure corruption. Brexit is a clear demonstration of the political will of its ruling party in divergence from European standards, including construction.
@@chrissasin6676 ofc buying a house on the US has the caveat of needing a car to do anything, meaning fuel, expenses, etc. so we are comparing apples to oranges
@@maximipe shhh, don't mention the actual externalities of living in a single family home in a low density area in the middle of nowhere. americans dont like it when you point out that cost of living and quality of life are overall better when you dont have to drive half an hour to get groceries.
I remember my first time in the US, it was cold and snowy near the canadian border. The walls of the hotel were extremely thin and look like paper. To compensate for this the heating had to be running 24/7. It shocked me the energy waste and how cheap was the overall construction (ah, and it was the best hotel in town)
It’s cheaper to build a building like that, and ever since the 30’s basically housing in the United States hasn’t changed except for the asbestos thing (American companies denied the cancer for so long) and “in the midwest/south there’s tornadoes so even a brick house won’t last” gets thrown around as an argument. Probably American companies don’t plan on America existing that long so they don’t care😢
I’m not quite sure what you mean by “looked thin like paper”. For the past 100 years houses have been built in the USA using 2”x4” studs in the walls meaning that the finished wall is about 6 inches thick and the insulation in the wall is 4 inches thick. And I cannot imagine anyone thinking that 6 inches is “paper thin”. In any case while these kinds of walls are fine for moderate climates they do not allow for enough insulation in very cold climates and that is why over the past 20 years or so we have started seeing much better insulated homes and businesses in very cold areas. They can either opt to use 2’x6” studs in the walls to allow for 6 inches of insulation or they can use a standard wall and add an additional 2 inches of Styrofoam insulation underneath the exterior sheathing. And of course, Pretty much all houses have been built with double glazed windows since the late 90’s. That being said, since about 80% of a buildings heat loss is through the roof the ceiling insulation is always much more important than wall insulation.
Speaking of hotels by the way, I recently had to spend several months in a hotel here in southern California after moving back to California after several years living in Asia. Anyway, this hotel was so energy efficient that I rarely ever even turned on the heater or air conditioner despite outside temperatures that ranged from over 100 degrees to below 40 degrees by the time I left. So even in moderate climates they are starting to construct much more energy efficient buildings.
As for the speed at which various countries have adopted energy efficient housing over the years this all boils down to energy costs in those countries. After all, residents of some European countries pay 6 or 7 times more for gas and electricity than we do here in the USA so it only makes sense that they would have long ago made the move towards more energy efficient housing. I believe that Germany current has the highest electric rates in the world so you can bet that they are highly focused on energy efficiency there. Of course, Canada has cheap energy and yet is still more energy efficient than us. But then again, their entire nation lives in a bitterly cold climate whereas the huge majority of the US population lives in a much more moderate climate.
As for construction being “cheap” this is patently false. As someone who studied both Architecture and construction, I can tell you that houses in the USA are built to conform to very strict building codes and can withstand pretty much anything that nature is likely to throw at them. And other than increasing energy efficiency there would be no rational or logical reason to make them any stronger than they already are. As for the building material used, this always comes down to what is the most cost effective in that particular country. For example, in Southeast Asia all housed are made mostly from brick or concrete block as these materials are cheap. And very little wood is used anywhere because wood is very expensive there. By the way, I have heard a lot of not very bright people wonder why people who live in tornado prone area do not build their hoses from concrete (some do). Well, the obvious answer is that even if you live in one of these areas the odds are fairly slim that you will take a direct hit from a tornado in your lifetime. Then again there are some people who will spend a ton of money building some dooms day shelter even though the odds of them ever needing it are astronomical. But most people do not want to spend money to overbuild for something that will likely never happen.
@@SLOBeachboy "Paper thin" is probably an exaggeration. But when i was a teenager i once saw a video of someone mentioning they accidentally punched a hole in their (interior) wall. And i thought they must be lying, because that can't be possible. Well turns out in america it is. But in most of europe, you couldnt make a real hole in most interior walls if you were punching it with a heavy hammer 10 times.
As for "they are built to withstand anything nature is likely to throw at them" and "even in tornado prone areas you are unlikely to actually be hit by a tornado". Seriously? Stuff is only built to withstand things that has something like a 50% (or 10%?) chance of actually hitting the house? Our houses are, as mentioned before, infinetly stronger. Yet we have no tornadoes, no hurricanes, no earthquakes, no landslides, no avalanches, no wildfires and generally nothing else that could even damage an american house. But we still build like that. Not just due to energy efficiency, but also due to a general approach of building stuff to last.
Maybe another difference is also, that we don't move houses as often. So if anybody here buys a home, they expect to live there until they die and probably also their children afterwards. The idea of a "starter home" and trading up every few years doesnt really exist here.
@@Soff1859 - Yes, you can certainly punch a hole in drywall as long as you hit an area between the studs. But this of course has absolutely no bearing whatsoever on the structural integrity of the building. The only purpose of the interior layer is to look good and to hold the insulation in the wall. When architects design a buildings, they do not choose the interior surfaces based on the possibility that someone might get pissed off and punch the walls. The important part is the exterior materials, and it would be hard to get through that even with a sledgehammer. By the way you can also easily punch a hole in any of the windows in your house only those holes will go all the way through to the outside of the house. So, are you saying that because of this we should start making all houses with expensive bulletproof glass?
In any case, the interiors used to be lath and plaster in the USA but by the 60’s it was all 3/8 inch drywall (sheet rock) and given the choice I would probably choose drywall over lath and plaster. Although personally I prefer externally insulated poured concrete walls myself, but most people prefer a nice clean looking drywall interior finish. Of course, in the last decade or so textured finishes have become popular (as well as satin paint rather than flat) which makes the drywall look more like the old plaster walls. Anyway, as someone who not only studied architecture but who also has the mind of an engineer and can see potential problems and weak points in a structure, I see absolutely no shortcomings in US building codes whatsoever. In other words, if I were building a new conventional house for myself and could do anything I wanted I would not change the construction techniques or materials. And I am someone who is fanatical about building things right. Of course, as I said before I’m partial concrete but that is due to its appearance and because I need the thermal mass for a passive solar house. I would never however be even remotely worried about the structural integrity or longevity of a conventionally framed house here. Speaking of which you said that your houses are built stronger, but you did not say how you determined this. The only way to determine this would be to have sample houses built using both building techniques at a test facility with giant machines which apply various stresses to the structure until they fail and then the engineers would investigate the failure points. Of course, I could probably look at the construction myself and tell you whether it's very soundly built, poorly built, or unnecessarily overbuilt.
By the way the term “starter home” did not come about because houses “wear out” over time or because people change houses like a game of musical chairs. Its because families expand and grow over times and so they eventually need a bigger house. People usually also by a starter car as teenagers and then get a nicer car when they get older. People also tend to make more money as they get older and therefore can afford a nicer a bigger house. But there are also plenty of people who stay in the same house for many generations. But because of all these home renovation TV shows people have bought into this myth that Americans are constantly changing houses. The truth is the most common reason to change houses is when one has to move to a new city for a job. Furthermore, houses do not wear out or fall apart over the time, they simply start to look old and used, much like an old car does. And just as with a car you can try to fix it up to look nice again or you can just buy a new car. And with both houses and cars some people keep them looking nice and other people don’t take care of them and they eventually look like crap. It's extremely rare however for a house built to US building codes to suffer from any kind of structural integrity issues even after 100 years. The only houses I have seen with these kinds of issues were not legally built to code. Incidentally, in San Luis Obispo we have an area near downtown that is zoned for historical preservation so you cannot tear down any of those houses to build new ones. Some of these houses are well over 100 years old and yet they are all in pristine condition and are very structurally sound. The only reason houses eventually become run down looking and in a state of disrepair in some cities is because the more affluent people eventually move to newer neighborhoods and then poor people end up taking over the old neighborhoods and these people let their homes get very run down. And it's the same story all over the world.
@@SLOBeachboy 2x4 but those are plywood walls, not real solid walls, and no R value over 20 on each wall so they are like not even sound or airproof. Look up balloon framing. It's a joke when a double or triple pane (gas filled) window is very effiecient, but the walls are paper then with probably no (R10+ pink stuff insultation in the walls) what's the point of these windows if the walls are just 2 plywood and a plastic sheet called tyvek holding the weather from coming in?
One thing that has always struck me, when seeing images of hurricane damage, is just how fragile the buildings appear to be. I stress that this is only based on the images of the aftermath, which could be given a totally wrong impression, but it makes me wonder how a typical UK home's construction would stand up against that type of weather.
nothing would be left, UK builds are far more less stronger materials
I imagine if Europe had hurricanes to worry about that the standards would be adjusted for that kind of experience. I also imagine it would be vastly better than the USA while also costing more.
I've been through multiple hurricanes up to cat 4 on landfall. I've experienced 100+ mph straight line winds. I have also hidden in basements/tubs/ditches because a tornado was getting way too close. Fortunately I've never had a direct hit with a tornado. The first life experience that humbled me in regards to weather was when my town was hit by unexpected straight line winds due to a localized meteorological event. I still to this day vividly recall running from the front door of the house to the basement while everything was shaking violently. If you hear that train roar get the fck in cover. That was "only" 80 or so mph winds. An oldschool brick 1.5 story factory a couple blocks up wind lost part of it's wall with a good section of the roof landing in a wide spread of various yards.
So you know what I hate about hurricanes? They like to spawn tornadoes that are very unpredictable. I can at least move to the high ground to get from the flooding. Speaking of, flooding generally accounts for the majority of the damage you're seeing when viewing the aftermath of a recent hurricane.
Have to say though the clouds are wild if you live on the coast when a cat4 is coming at you. The day of the first hurricane was so surreal to witness. Walking out of the house at night while the eye is above you and not hearing a single animal/insect is kind of freaky.
They wouldn't 😂
You see the places with the most destruction - and those are freak occurrences - and it largely makes more sense not to build to withstand - but to seek shelter inland - allow the house to fall and rebuild.
European Cinder Block construction would possibly do well against wind, but it does horribly against earthquakes - where would construction allows for absorbtion to a larger extent.
things are tradeoffs - and the cost of building, and teardown, and renovations are all effected by codes an the like.
Matt can build a house that exceeds code - anyone can. Code is a minimum standard. Making it more costly to build can mean very low home ownership rates (see Germany and Switzerland with the lowest in the developed world) - and/or homes that are much smaller than what people in america are used to living in - but similar to what Americans lived in in the 1950's (think 1500sqft not 2500-4000)
It is tradeoffs and decisions - and perserving the ability to make those appropriately in a country so large and diverse in terms of climate is probably the more prudent thing to do.
So - Matt can have a very efficient home that "does not suck" - while others can make other decisions that are right for them.
If you are wondering google Czech tornado. Most of the homes are 40-60 years old. Brick or autoclaved aerated concrete blocks, with retrofitted windows usually with new roof and occasional added insulation. Except missing roofs and busted windows the core structure is intact. Most homes were livable in few days with minimal damage to the interior. The most damage homes took 1-2 months mostly waiting for the roof and new windows. Not sure but think gas or water was not damaged, only electricity witch was quick fix since vast majority of power lines are underground. By comparison flooding is way more damaging, not only it can disrupt infrastructure but the building static. And to add up it destroy all furniture inside + it takes several days or even months to dry thick walls that soak up water.
In india you just built a concrete structure that maybe looks good from outside and inside with no additional measures for efficiency or insulation. Just use different ac s in different rooms and pay for the electricity. I live in one of the rare cooler areas where temperature doesn't melt you in summers but freezes you in winters, there is no insulation for trapping the heat or keeping the house warm in any way ( not just mine but the entire country does the same)
I'm in Alberta, Canada and I'm building a low energy house. I got the much better performance windows from Germany and what fascinated me was, that despite so much better and all the transportation involved, they also came a lot cheaper
I’m not sure on pricing but you can buy local Canadian Made Tilt & Turn Windows. Innotech in BC is a good example, they make certified passive house windows.
windows are just so stupid expensive... when u want beyond double pane in canada.
i'm just going to build my own.
to put in perspective.
my whole house, r50 walls, r50-r70 roof, 5000sqft, costing me $100k to build myself. excluding windows. no contractors other than spray foam.
so i cant justify paying $40-50k for windows...
@@HotNoob Building yourself is the way to go for sure! Windows don't need to cost what they do!
@HotNoob Well, as a builder, we did a house last year 3500 sqft that had $150k of windows and doors from Austria. When it was finished it had a air change of 0.3. Lowest the tester had ever seen.
Who is the manufacturer you used?
This summer my family moved from the DFW, TX area to just west of Helsinki, Finland. We were lucky enough to get into a one-year old apartment and, I have to say, it really is built so much better than our 2014 house in Texas was.
when you live in an area where sea freezes in winter you learn some stuff about insulating
I believe you. The quality of some of these new builds is substandard. I wonder if they'll last past 25 years. Developers and workers used to have pride and a sense of craftsmanship in their work. I hope that attitude returns again someday.
At this point we've had several nights of freezing weather and the interior of the apartment hasn't really fallen more than a couple degrees C. No frozen saltwater yet but there was a lot of frost on the ground this morning. ;D @@Arkansya
Which means nothing. Go get the same quality in Texas, I know it's there. What are you paying per sf now versus Texas? Sound like you're the problem.
We build what customers want.
@@Here4TheHeckOfItquality isn't relevant to his comment but code has increased energy efficiency the last 25 years. The last iteration is close of exceeds European standards.
Keep in mind European countries copied our environmental laws, often including spelling errors. They aren't that special.
Our two kids just built their first homes here in Norway so now I know more about our building codes than I used to: Our standard requirement for air leakage (the ACH50 measurement) is 0.6 for all new houses, i.e. the same as your Passive House rule. Similarly, our U value requirement is 0.8 for the windows and all the walls require a combination of 20 cm mineral wool (or equivalent), a diffusion barrier and then 5 cm of dense (ultra-insulating) foam board. A balanced ventilation system that also works as a heat exchanger has also been part of the minimum requirements since 2012 (i.e. the Tek-12 standard revision, later updated and made even more stringent in 2017.)
I think part of the problem shows in the surprise that a 1991 house is still in use today. By EU standards a 1991 house is very young. The house I purchased some 12 years ago was build in 1964 and although it got an insulation upgrade some 15 years ago it still stands strong. At almost 60 years old it is not generally considered old simply because it was built well using good building codes that allowed, even back then, for relatively simple modernisation, keeping it relevant even decades after it was built.
I’m a home inspector in Phoenix and I’ve definitely noticed that builders are super focused on the return on investment portion of the issue more than any other.
Makes sens, doesn't it? Energy prices in Europa are often much higher, that's why there's a difference I suppose.
Yes, by definition of a business vs , for example, a non-profit
FIRE PROOF.
HURRICANE PROOF.
STAYS COOL IN THE SUMMER.
WARM IN THE WINTER.
RATS AND BUGS CANNOT LIVE IN THE WALLS.
BULLETPROOF.
LAST FOR CENTURIES.
Stop building any other kind of house.
COMPRESSED.
EARTH.
BLOCKS.
When margins are thin, a small change in the total cost means a big change in the profit. OTOH codes affect all builders equally, so shouldn't make any difference to profits.
Stayed in a local hotel in AZ once. The walls, I swear, were 2x3 and the windows were single pane even though the age of the building didn't look that old.
My parents have been upgrading their home with such things because, it not only will lower their cost of living by reducing electric & natural-gas usage, but also increases the value of the home for potential future buyers. It is a significant portion of a home's value here in The Netherlands, because we take it very seriously.
Thanks for doing all that amazing research on this subject and sharing it with us!
I had been intrigued by the idea of passive and energy efficient homes for many years. Particularly a design that used cement blocks under the floor so that air could circulate under the slab and act as a heat sink. One drawback I thought of was the possibility that mold might become a problem under there, especially after much air had bought dust, mites, etc to rest there. How would you clean such a thing? It would be interesting to see how many of those homes are still functioning as they should.
This makes me think so much of our last apartment in Colorado before leaving. It was a nice place overall, but even in the relatively mild Colorado winter, our heat pump ran upwards of 20 hrs out of every day. It wasn't that we had drafts everywhere, it's that there was absolutely no insulation - anywhere. Nothing but the wood and siding. Every year they'd be sending out reminders all winter to leave the taps running with a slow drip so that the water wouldn't freeze on cold nights. The thought of insulating walls and pipes instead of replacing and cleaning up after a burst? They just looked at me funny on the suggestion, like they'd never even heard such a thing was possible, and said that it "didn't seem practical". We spent more on energy heating that small apartment than my parents did heating a detached home with a furnace built in the 1970s in the dead of Saskatchewan's winters.
That is beacuase heat pumps are ot as effecient at lower temperatures.
@@RayTheMickey You may have missed the point that the winters are relatively mild.
@@zweigackroyd7301You missed the point that heat pumps aren’t very effective in Colorado in general.
@@Matt-yg8ub Can it be said I've missed something that isn't true? You can easily look this up. I am sure you'll find articles that say they don't work, but you can also find articles telling you the earth is flat. Look at reliable sources and a number of them.
Also, maybe you hadn't noticed that there are several climate zones in the 270,000 km2 of the state.
Europe is even worse. They try to brag now but they didn't even think of insulation till the 80's. I've been in building all over europe.
I would love more energy efficient homes. I would also love to be able to afford them. I can't even afford the cheaply built ones in the current real estate market.
The crazy thing is that they don't cost all that much more to build.
if you were ALLOWED, you could build an Adobe or similar DIY efficient home on a small lot of land, but all suburban areas in America prohibit such basic freedoms by "Building Codes"
How much more do they cost?
@@solosailorsv8065 Yeah, building codes are simultaneously too strict and too lax. I want to build a tiny home, but building codes make even that too difficult and expensive. The building codes need to be simplified and more friendly toward tiny homes.
@@foxvulpes8245 5-10% in construction costs, which are really a subset of total home prices.
You should probably clarify that many older US homes are made very well. Thick walls, high quality masonry with real brick etc.
But then the home buying boom happened and many developers sprung out of nowhere, and their goal was to make the house as cheap as possible, that would meet the state standard, and sell it for as much as possible.
I've lived in some amazing older homes that are similar in quality to European homes, although much larger of course.
But the cookie cutter home has become the new standard and it's very hard to find home builders that actually know what they're doing, and if you do find one, expect to spend significantly more. So much more that your bank might not approve. 😅
I've got a rowhome built in 1880. I am looking to attempt a complete redo of the house to see how close an old home can reach passive house standards. Other folks have tried and it's worked. I've started with mini split heating and cooling, a TPO roof with isocyanate insulation, and a heat pump water heater. Each one has made a huge difference, but eventually the sum will be greater than the individual changes. One thing that makes it harder is that on one side of my house, it's old brick with lime mortar. You can't just slap outboard insulation and weatherproofing. It takes a little more care. Passive houses are great not just because the living expenses are low over time, but they also are more comfortable. Warmer in the winter, less humid in the summer, they don't leak, they have much better water ingress protection, and they also are generally much quieter. If you add sound insulation and treatment, you can live in a row home and never know that anyone else exists.
Cool to see Matt risinger getting a shout-out. I love his enthusiasm for better homebuilding.
I'm also a materials scientist/engineer and this stuff fascinates me as the topic is very materials dominated.
Thanks for the vid! I want to see more Americans start caring about this.
Some building envelopes are best left as they are and then re-skinned externally with a Larsen type wall. Brick walls pose a problem of drying and freeze - thaw. As energy costs continue to rise, townhomes like yours will become economically unviable shelter. You will run into a problem with neighbours though. So the homeowners will need to cooperate to improve the envelope of each dwelling in the group in a coherent way. So a plan needs to be developed that governs the exterior envelope in terms of thickness , finishes and appearance. With the Larsen wall, the building size grows and that can mean a planning issue where variances need to be obtained. Again, a collective approach is needed.
Northern Italy. I built myself an energy efficient home in 2012, back then having it built by one of the few wise companies was quite expensive, like 30% above market. I managed to build one like yours with 210k euros for a two-story 140sqm villa in a rural area. Since then I've been saving a lot in electricity and gas bills, and I have comfort like no one else in the area. Now the market has changed, and energy efficient houses are becoming more common, but still not to my house point.
That’s a 340k house (in 2012 dollars)…454k in todays money and let’s be honest, a 1500 square foot home for 454k is considered very overpriced in the US. It’s roughly 150k more than a comparable home here in the Midwest. Most banks won’t float a loan on a Property that overvalued.
@@Matt-yg8ub I don't think you can build *any* house for that cost in Germany these days.😅 Modern-ish single family houses in the Hamburg region cost 700k€ or more. It partly comes from how much more expensive the land itself is.
@@faultier1158but the stupid building standards can’t be helping the matter. Just admit the US is right. Building a large house out of plastic and woodchips for 200k (including land and builder profit) is better than building a small net 0 house for 700k
@@faultier1158 Which is the Apples and Oranges comparison between the US and Europe. The average person can afford a house in the US…. It’s far less attainable in Europe. For the price of a 1,500 sqft “efficient” European townhome, you can own a 3,000 sqft single family house in the United States with a private yard for your kids…. AND pay the utilities for decades with money left over.
@@LucasFernandez-fk8se In most cases yes. It would be nice to build more energy efficient homes… but the cost is too great. The trade off in quality of life just isn’t there. You can buy a 3,000 square foot house in the US, live like a king and pay more in utility costs, or you can buy a tiny townhome in Europe and spend VASTLY more to save on utility costs .
The break even point is decades out. You’d have to literally leave the windows open all winter and the thermostat set on max for approximately 30 years to approach the price difference.
The European standards aren’t worth it in the US because the energy prices are so much lower.
One reason is limited competition.
In Europe the competition for everything from windows to faucets is fierce.
Another reason is a lack of community associations in other parts of the world. In the US and Canada developers have way too much of a say in how little they offer to the client. Developers basically run municipalities. In other parts of the world they don’t.
Thank you for a great video!
Oh, miserable Monopoly capitalism
By the way try the New York Times venison stew recipe
You forgot the most important part which is zoning! In Europe houses and utilities like supermarkets, hospitals..... are all built closer to each other which eliminates the needs of an extensive infrastructure to be built and maintained!
Just imagine the amount of oil needed to pave all those hundreds thousands of roads! The amount of oil needed to build a gigantic grid and connect everyone! Same with sewages..... the gigantic parking lots and much more! A gigantic waste of ressources.
@@carholic-sz3qv- “oil… pave roads”
Yep. Liberals mismanaged US cities, turned them into concentration camps, where people are discouraged from living in them: refuse to enforce law, make it illegal to protect one’s self, implement bad schools, don’t zone family friendly housing (just studio housing), put planned parenthood on corners to encourage people kill their own offspring, don’t zone proper food purchasing stores, discourage personal transportation options so those who are enticed to live there are trapped, and only the rich can get out alive.
My mother & father grew up in an American City, they made it out alive, my father being former US military had an intuition about security, they got out when they could, and my family only goes back in via long asphalt highways… we live in a county where we can better guarantee our own personal security, and those laws which protect people who enforce their own personal security makes all the difference in creating a safer environment for all.
Liberals in the US want labor in the cities, don’t want families, so they outsource the family creating to the rural environments, to collect raw humanity for their cities where wealthy single people live for awhile in relative security, the rest do not, and many are trapped.
This just reminds me of the big snowstorm debacle that happened in Texas a while back - Texan homes weren't built to withstand any amount of cold so pipes were breaking, people were freezing in their own homes, and electricity infrastructure failed spectacularly. In an overall climate change like we are experiencing now we need to start building our homes to be able handle the unexpected.
I’m about to start converting / improving the energy efficiency of a listed building in Cyprus. Super interesting problems as ours lovely and cool without air conditioning in 40C but pretty miserable in the winter. But as it is listed my options are limited and this channel provides some creative ideas for me, who as a German working with these things considers passive house standards the bare minimum :D
I lived in Europe for 36 years: UK Germany & the Netherlands. I watched my German neighbors build a house from scratch, thinking they were building a bomb shelter. I toured several passive houses in the early 2000’s and was impressed to learn they could be maintained for dollars a month while providing a much healthier standard of living due to the constant supply of fresh air. Europeans wonder at the US building codes as they watch our homes continuously get burned or blown down. I’ve always explained that we did not learn the lesson of the second little pig: don’t built your house out of sticks.
One more thing about maintenance, I her about how in US they speak about refurbish the roof or rebuild the roof. Then Scandinavinan roof tiles lasts forever.
I always thought americans build paper thin homes because the get blown away regardless. At least in tornado alley that is.
Or the second world war
@@kirgan1000 As a Dane i can confirm. The only reason we replace the roof is if we want new roof tiles, not because we need it. Or there been a storm and a few blew off that needs to be replaced. Can be dangerous to walk the street doing a storm. Still remember one time i walked home from school and had to dodge or i would have gotten a roof tile in the face.
Occasionally a roof will need replacing here, but it's down to poor maintenance, and the house would be old (coming up to, or well over 100 years).
Most roof replacements are down to loft conversions with dormas.
Im Australian (so have seen the dark side of non-existent energy efficiency) living in Germany (the light side). I would have to say that how energy efficient ones house is over here seems to be a national sport. One tip regarding the windows from Germany. Windows are generally triple glazed these days, but a lot rides on the fact that the windows are installed using the correct materials and methods so that they are not deemed useless by allowing in the cold through the joins with the wall. The government offers grants for new windows that are rated at a certain energy efficiency, however they have to be installed by a licensed contractor. Just went through this process.
And that's in Germany which is fairly warm country. In Finland 4 pane windows are standard for new projects I believe and I've never seen less than double glazing, even in oldest of houses. Rest of the structures follow similar thinking in their construction obvs.
Same here mate, another one from down under living in the light.
I also built my house here in Germany 5 years ago, and it's a completely different process than the paper mache houses they have in Oz and the US.
Most of the time I was just watching and learning from my wife as I had no clue what was going on, even after owning a couple of houses in Oz.
It does really help having all the latest tech (heat pumps etc), saving energy (so bottom line of time), but more importantly comfort throughout the year is so easy to manage.
Nothing like strutting round your house when it's -20 outside in your pluggers and stubbies.
Here in Australia we may as well live in tents, our building codes are piss poor!
I've made the change the other way around - from light to dark. I've been shocked to see the (lack of) building standards in Australia, even for new builds. Water dripping down on the single layer windows during whole winter, etc... On the other side, AC is on 100% for the whole summer - but "no, we don't need insulation, it doesn't get that cold here in Australia".
@@DavidBiro Sounds like they'd also be confused about how a thermos works: "It keeps the hot hot and the cold cold...how do it know?!?"
I'm glad to see more videos that go in-depth into how public policy affects the energy technologies that affect everyday American's bottom line in their energy costs and housing costs. I'd love to see more coverage of how zoning codes interact with things like modular housing and apartments, which are inherently more energy efficient than single family homes (and more affordable). As someone who both works on climate policy and advocates for housing abundance and zoning reform, its something that drives a lot of my work!
Yes! As a scandinavian living in the US, I wish there was more focus on energy efficiency when building new homes. It seems like we are slowly realizing that you can insualte for heat just as well as for cold, but it's been slow.
I was in California for two years. Folks talk about $1k electric bills during some summer months. I was shocked by how hot the back of a medicine cabinet on an exterior wall got, I swear you could keep your coffee warm on it if you wanted.
My wife and I bought a house in the Midwest this past fall and, after spending a winter in it, I've got my eyes on a couple of insulation projects that should help our bills and overall comfort for this next year. It's comfort more than anything else for us right now.
I am a design professional in the Phoenix area. We have over 20 municipalities that make up the metro area. All of them have adopted different versions of the ICC codes and almost all of them have local addendums. The idea that an entire country would have a set of codes to follow is a dream that I can barely comprehend. Fundamentally, they are all fairly close, so it is not the end of the world, but to be able to streamline boiler plate general notes and requirements would be awesome.
I really don't understand why the USA does not have a lot more nation wide regulation and standardization.
It is because then a lot of local politicians would lose their grifts?
It's not just building codes. All of the USA is a bewildering patchwork. For example: how do you recognize a police officer? What makes a real one distinct from an impostor?
And don't get me started on signage. Why do so many signs have walls of minute text instead of a clear symbol or two?
The state or at least Maricopa county and maybe Pinal county could take up that role, if the builders associations pressured them to do it. Especially if they smartly push for higher levels of energy efficiency to help consumers want standardized rules.
In the US, it is significantly harder for the federal government to apply nationwide policies due to the autonomy and power of state governments.
For local police, if they have a radio, a gun, taser, and a badge, and are wearing a police uniform, it is most likely a real cop. State police are usually found on the interstate highways, and have the big hats.
I'm not very familiar with signage regulations, but it would probably depend on what kind of signage you mean.
@@rogerwilco2 Interesting you would state, "I really don't understand why the USA does not have a lot more nation wide regulation and standardization," and then ask, "Why do so many signs have walls of minute text instead of a clear symbol or two?" Regulations. Regulations. Regulations. The US over-regulates nearly everything, making it worse. There was a sports stadium that was almost shut down on opening day because the mirrors in one of the restrooms were not the proper height above the sinks. As for signage, I have read where the sign maker make a common sense sign, but the government inspector said it 'wasn't clear/explicit enough' so the sign maker had to add extra warning that not only would you die, but it would be painful. Then the sign was approved.
If you want to ruin an industry in the US, get the government to regulate it and then "improve" on the regulations over and over again until it is just stupid.
@@rogerwilco2 Canada actually had someone go on a killing spree impersonating our federal police, that included a car. Some of his victims were murdered by pulling them over for a traffic stop and shooting them. 2020 Nova Scotia attacks.
Having "owned" a few homes one of the first things that I would do was add insulation to the attic (and plywood for added storage space) and wrap the pipes under the house. Over the course of time windows and doors would be updated as well. It takes a considerable amount of "want to" when it comes to updating/upgrading a home. As an American we have "gotten used" to "cheaper" commodities (energy, water, food) when compared to the rest of the world. Several generations have passed since the times you mentioned in the late 70s/early 80s, it is the American "normal". Can American do a better job with commodity efficiencies? Of course, but most don't "want to".
Thing is I can't remember a time when Americans weren't complaining about prices of energy, food, or other utilities including water that weren't priced way higher than we pay for them, so I really don't get this "cheap energy" claim, either.
@@KainYusanagi Gallon of gas (in USD) Europe approx. $7.60 in the US $3.88. Sure American "complain" that doesn't take any effort or change of behavior. If the price of gas doubled (and stayed there), America would become significantly more efficient with transportation. Kilowatts hours Europe is about 6% higher compared to the United States. Yes, those are very broad strokes Norway and Italy are vastly different as is Alaska and Illinois.
I've done the same thing, update what I could as I went. Makes a world of difference!
By the way, all these considerations apply if you are building a home for yourself and are planning to be there a long time. For existing homes with crappier insulation you would never get your money back if you go through retrofitting it with the best possible insulation.
My interest in passive solar started in Victoria Australia. In 1960 my father saw that his first house had no merit when he went to an architect. Suddenly the concept of a house that maximized heat gain by northern windows gaining maximum winter sun onto a concrete floor was paramount.
Unfortunately at the time solar panels double or triple-glazing weren't heard of but we had 19 years there which were very pleasurable
Looking at some climate data for Melbourne, I would think keeping cool would be a much bigger concern than keeping warm. The numbers look like what I've experienced in Los Angeles, and I've never felt the desire to turn a heater on while I was there.
I think you missed the full concept behind a passive house. It is not only a matter of insulating the building from the cold weather but also to build having in mind that such house has to protect from the hot weather as well. It is important to talk about the R value but also about the phase shift of your roof as well as its damping factor (I don't know the English term). Remember that all building envelopes, when well insulated, protect from cold. Not all envelopes protect from hot weather though! Passive house is also about not having thermal bridges, using renewable energy, heart recovery, maximising heat gain by a good orientation, automatic controls, and of course, last but not least, a valid certification.
Indeed.
The full concept of Passive Houses is that the home is heated and cooled passively, i.e. without any mechanical or electrical assistance and without consuming any fuels. So cooling is obtained by having windows that can be opened, fresh air supplies that enter the home through a long run of pipe underground (so are tempered), and by shading windows and fitting "E" glass to avoid the structure absorbing too much heat in the summer. Passive heating is acheived by the triple glazed windows that don't allow out heat that the "E" glass has allowed in, having thermal mass to retain heat, and air sealing so that warm air doesn't leak out of the house. Some of the biggest savings to be had are available for very low cost if you take the truely passive approah. But for most climate zones, some active heating is necessary and comfort can be increased with active ventilation.
I have lived both in the US and Europe. One reason Europe has better ways to keep homes insulated (at least in newer construction) is because of incredibly high energy costs.
That's BS, in Europe people build to last. there is no reason to rebuilt in 30-50 years.
@@ralfjanser4733 yes, in Germany we have usually built very solid houses based on brick masonry, but 50 years ago these homes were not so well insulated. Most of the changes in the last 50 years have been in using better insulating solid blocks such as Poroton or Xella (AAC), and thicker layers of insulation. 80% of our newly built houses are using some kind of solid masonry block, and only 20% use wood.
For example: 'Poroton' is the trade name for a fired-clay block (or 'jumbo brick') manufactured to a high degree of accuracy. These blocks are formed with a honeycomb structure of vertical perforations, that reduce the material in the block (and thus the weight), whilst maintaining adequate strength and increasing the thermal resistance (lambda value) of the block.
Thing is, the cheapness of energy in the US is quickly disappearing. Especially whenever weather is a big variable.
@@blikpils in Europe we've also generally grown out of building in places where they will need to be rebuilt every decade.
Like all those people that persist in living in Tornado Alley or areas almost yearly hit by hurricanes in the US.
And when we do, we build from a perspective of having the building survive something like that, instead of having to rebuild.
@@enlightendbel- “cheapness in US energy is quickly disappearing”
That is a political decision, based upon voters. Some voters are scared into voting for candidates who will l implement policies for increase energy costs & lack of physical security, blood letting the voters from two sides simultaneously.
Honestly, it should not be that way. Unfortunately for Americans, the cycle swings back & forth, between those who have sound energy & security policies, and those with unsound energy & security policies.
Great video! I hope we can make some changes in the US. I think some plots like bar charts will help where you cover a lot of numbers (like 0.06 in washington vs 0.04 in UK).
Well done, Matt!
Airtightness: It's far easier to achieve than you might think. As you've shown, you're using an air exchanger, a vital component in airtight homes. I helped my uncle install his around 1994. I refer to as an "air-permeable thermal barrier" or APTB. To be frank, I see a strong need for TWO such APTBs, an active one with variable 0 to x flow rate, and a passive one with 0 to y flow rate, controlled by a butterfly valve on the vertical conduit used to achieve it.
The active APTB would heavily (dust + HEPA 13 + activated charcoal) filter outside air before bringing it inside, so as to keep out smoke and other particles. It might also employ a desiccant wheel to normalize humidity. Once inside, it injects filtered and heat-exchanged air into your homes air handler and air ducts, regardless of whether the air handler is on or off. This helps keep fresh air circulating around the home.
The passive APTB relies on the density differential between your home's inside air and either warmer or cooler outside air. Thus, it can flow both ways. Either way, any amount of wind would also help expedite air exchange. It, too, heavily filters outside air and may employ a desiccant to normalize humidity.
The need for the passive APTB becomes necessary for homes where the owner is absent for more than a few days and the power goes out! That happened to me once during a hurricane in North Carolina while I was on temporary duty (TDY) in Germany and my wife was with me. Two pine trees him my home, but fortunately, only one pierced the roof over the garage. Additionally, the power was out for five days. It didn't flood, but it might as well have. The living space of the home was fine but the garage was a moldy mess. I hit it with a high pressure water spray with chlorine and soap a few times, then a fresh water rinse and dry, before letting the sheet rock installers do their work,
Even the water-free interior of the home reeked of mold, however, so a cleaning crew was required. A passive APTB with humidity control would have mitigated most of that.
Another benefit of a passive APTB is that it requires less work, and less energy, from your active APTB. In fact, I may be able to figure out a way to combine the two...
Just to be clear, 3G windows don't _have_ to be tilt+turn (you seemed to equate them here). You can have conventional (for the UK and the US) outward-opening casement windows that are 3G. T&T works well with EWI and MVHR and shutters which is why they are popular.
3G passive house certified even available as Sash windows in the UK !
The problem with 3G or any windows like this. They have lifespan till all gas escape from them and then you should replace it...
@@slovakjakpica No - the lifespan depends on the seals, and how long they last depends mostly if they are kept out of the water, which depends on the frame design. The U-value is improved by the argon gas, but it's still pretty good even if that diffuses out. Fibreglass rather than aluminium spacers makes a massive difference, and so do the IR-reflective coatings on the inner surfaces.
Once the seals go then water gets in and you can no longer see through the window - that's when they are usually replaced. And yes this is exactly the same for 2G and 3G units - 'any modern window'
That is not true at all, gas escapes slowly over time, water will not get in suddenly. You can be sure that almost all 15+ years old windows have no gas inside, but you wont see any water there also@@xxwookey
@@slovakjakpica I have never heard of a window "expiring"... this is an absolute non-issue
In the US, it's all about profit margin. A lot of contractors barely meet building codes for safety let alone energy efficiency. A housing development went up near me a couple of years ago. I saw a house go from a concrete slab foundation to under roof in 2 days. There is no way that was a quality build.
It doesn’t need to be a quality build, that’s the whole problem with cheap energy. And as a European I can’t blame the US citizens, the biggest house for the smallest price. Contractors just fulfill a need. Whenever I see a US home their kitchen is bigger then my entire 1st floor. Even in a good energy efficient home that would give me a heart attack just considering my gas prices in the winter.
@@Riorozen well not quitte, our government has been privatizing company’s like public transport, medical insurance, utilities, postal and much more for the past 20-25 years. Company’s you can’t live without and everything has gotten really expensive. Every year it’s a couple of % here and there but it adds up really quickly.
It's not always about the contractors, often times homes are bought up by people, renovated for bottom dollar, and re-sold at a ludicrous markup. But construction, like most things, is a matter of you get what you pay for. You pay the least, you get the least. A contractor can only do as much as the client will allow. If the contractor were actually allowed to do it right (which any contractor worth his salt is chomping at the bit to do) the price would balloon to levels that the person paying for the renovation would balk at.
now its about having big homes and because our energy is cheap. we wont go into debt with energy bills
The houses aren't SOLD cheap tho lol.
In Sweden we use concrete more than wood. It's weird that they use such fragile materials in the US where they have crazy tornados and storms
In the UK we require an energy performance certificate before we rent or sell our homes. Energy companies charge everyone through the bills to create a fund which insulation companies Apply to spend making existing buildings more efficient.
The EPC last maximum of 10 years, but need to be changed if improvements are made. Certificate approximately £50 cost
Here in Finland all new houses use almost exclusively heat pumps (air/geothermal) for heating the house and tap water and this has been the case for quite some time now. Many old houses that has used electricity, oil or district heating have been fitted with heatpumps. Even new appartment blocks now gets heat from geothermal and district heating companies have started to produce heating from geothermal. I'm really sad to hear that the way you chose to build your house, which would be a standard house in this part of the world, isn't common in america. America is just so far behind here, it's just baffling.
They are far behind in electricity, 110v is too low for power tool it maxed out at 1800W because most outdoor and garage circuit are 15Amps. 20A cricuit could be installed but not enought tool are made to take the 20Amps since it's not common. Another con, you lost a lot of power in the extension cord. Generally the 110V is inefficient. 220V 16Amps is perfect. Also the fuse box are from 1800s. no GFCI/AFCI in the box some are at the outlet for kitchen/bathroom/garage near the sink/outside plug but that's it, mostly GFCI... Add the fact that the ceiling light are on the same circuit as the plug! So when you power a power full tool the light dim... really annoying. Oh and the plugs are really unsafe, you can get electrocuted because the plug is flush on the wall not recessed, you can break the blade and the ground pin really easy. Wire are not in conduit so never gonna be able to replace, unless tearing down the house... stupid...
The traditional lack of efficiency really does drive me nuts. My previous house was built in the early 80s, had double pane windows but they were aluminum. They conducted so much heat out that they would generate massive amounts of condensation and actually rotted the drywall at the bottom corners. That place was expensive to heat, and nearly impossible to air condition in the summer. That's my ex's problem now. I had started replacing the windows, starting with the one in the kitchen, which suddenly made that room bearable. Unfortunately she didn't like it, so the rest of the house was still awaiting her window opinion input two years later when I left.
Agreed. In sourthern California i see rows of dumb(inefficient) track houses with smart(modern) cars parked there.
Its like looking at a time warp back to the 1950's from whence the building codes came. It looks SO stupid !!
@@solosailorsv8065 I'd say the cars are just more of a green-washing, if I didn't know it as a fact...
The issue is windows no matter how energy efficient they lose that efficiency in years a study proved after 2 to 5 years all argon gas is gone, I suggest we outlaw all windows in future home to keep them energy efficient.
@@RobertMillerJustme lol
In New Zealand, old places have wooden windows that are single pane, so loads of drafts, then they adopted aluminium single pane glass windows. This fascination with aluminium windows has stuck. This plus the drastic step to move away from cold moldy housing has seen double glazing been taken up in a big way. But guess what, still with non-thermally broken aluminium frames. So new builds with new up to date building codes and double glazing are still getting loads of condensation. It's such a big problem, loads of people then just leave a windows a jar to allow for the windows to be less thermally different from outside temps and there fore less moisture. It's like the building code here has no understanding of the point of double glazing, and NZers are mostly un aware until they move into their brand new build and see it dripping wet inside on cold days. Ah well I guess in another 10 to 20 years they will make the change to European style windows. The only people doing this are those that are installing windows themselves. Developers are mass producing more subpar housing and calling it the best of standards. It is embarrassing. That and only just taking up insulating walls, and likely only the external ones. The only relatively standard insulation to date has been thin insulation under the floor and in onto of the ceiling. (Not even the roof trusses, cause who needs a nicely insulated roof space.) It is a joke and most people think the standards are great. This is with the biggest push for building new homes in over 30 years, and they are all going up, trash.
That US Map that shows the efficiency code levels by state, notice how all the "highly efficient states", also have the most expensive houses/COL
Where I'm from (Ireland) we literally always have a brick shell, with another brick layer 6 inches from it for insulation. Richer households fill it (sometimes many years after) with insulation.
the inner layout uses plaster sheets and for fireproofing uses fiberglass. It's the most logical thing to do, yet only English, Canadians and Russians build similar.
Russia's codes if they exist at all are voluntary. Just proves that mandatory codes are not needed for single family homes.
@@williamsickner2206 Some codes are important like it being law for somebody to do your electrical installation, or at least certify it in planning and then inspect it if you do it yourself.
I came to Canada a year ago from Ukraine, where I built a house months before the invasion. I used foam concrete blocks 20cm thick with an additional insulation of 10cm mineral wool outside. With all exterior and interior coverings, I got a 35cm thick walls, which are considered of moderate thickness. Of course, we don't have anything other than energy-efficient tilt-turn windows. Imagine my surprise when I saw that in the similar climate here in Ontario people build houses with 20-25cm thick walls with so ridiculously thin windows they need thick curtains...
canada has energy resources and doesn't have to rely on dictators like poo-tin for their energy so less motivation to improve energy efficiency. rediculously thin windows? were they double pane?
You should move to Mexico. Houses are built much more solid there.
@@PrimericanIdol funny
@@gna89 I'm serious. I lived there.
I live in the southern part of Ontario. My house was probably built in the mid-50s, and when I bought it a few years back, there was absolutely no insulation in the exterior walls (built of 2x4s), and a dusting in the attic. I would guess that the ACH50 rating then would have been about 12. I've made improvements, but this place needs to be torn down.
My US house was built in the 1970s and still has the original windows. We've considered getting new, but it hasn't worked out yet. A year or two ago we were able to get free insulation added to various points in the house, including the attic. I was so grateful for that when our furnace broke during the coldest part of the winter, and we were able to stay around 50F with a couple electric heaters running during the day when outside was below freezing. We also have indoor shutters on most of the windows, which makes a big difference when we keep them closed.
I love the idea of a passive house, and before we bought this house, I was seriously looking into Earthships. I'm now looking for ways to turn my current house to be more passive and energy efficient.
Well, home require ventilation for breathing AND for moisture removal, so full passive is borderline extreme conditions. But it is possible to make highly efficient housing.
Thank you for an interesting program. I live in a 300 square meter large house from 1895, with a log frame which accumulates heat during the day and release it in the night which makes the temperature span smaller. We have also single plane windows (the old hand made glass once) with removable inner windows that we take out in the summer and put back in autumn. The inner windows are sealed with a glued paper strip which makes it almost completely air tight. As airtight these kind of houses can be without starting to mold. We have installed an air to water heat-pump with built in hot water tank. In addition to this we have three tiled masonry heaters (I love thes very nice fireplaces) that we use to bring the heat up when needed.
Our average energy consumption in a year is around 15 000 kWh including house hold appliances and around 5-8 cubic meeter of wood. With a 5 moth period of cold winter (usually around 0 degrees C for the most part, but also around 2-4 weeks with temperature between -5 to -10 C and a week with -15 to -20 C). We allow some less used parts of the house to be a bit colder to save energy. With an energy need for 50 kWh per square meeter, the house during its very long life span, have a very low carbon footprint.
The EU parlament still want to make us suffocate the house with extra all energy savings that probably would kill a wooden house like ours and remove most of the cultural heritage in the house.
tvpworld.com/68507504/eu-parliament-votes-in-favor-of-compulsory-renovation-of-old-buildings#:~:text=Specifically%2C%20residential%20buildings%20should%20at,by%20the%20planned%20new%20regulations.
Energy efficiency is important for your comfort and your bank balance.
I rented a flat which needed work, it was drafty due to cladding round the windows falling out, and had electric space heaters on the wall. When I complained to my landlord about the space heaters; which were supposed to be storage heaters according to the contract agreement; he gave me an eviction notice!
This worked out well as it gave me six months to find somewhere else, but I only needed to give my landlord 1 month's notice. I found a flat with gas central heating and well maintained. My electricity went down from £150 to £100 for both gas and electricity at my new place and I'm never cold. Also, fuel costs have gone up by 1/3 since I moved so lucky I moved when I did.
As well the agency dropped my landlord as the flat needed too much work and were upset about how the landlord treated me. The landlord literally begged me to stay, as he needed to pay the mortgage. I just laughed in his face!
My house was built in 1958. The walls have two kinds of insulation: skimpy and none.
An architect friend attended a program about building passive homes. It took most of his time for about 3 months.
When I bought my house 15 years ago the only insulation it had was the asbestos in the popcorn ceiling.
Matt - in the UK, most homes are made of brick and stone. However, prior to the last 10 years or so, they are draughty, poorly insulated and cost a lot to heat. We live in a 35 year old 'authentic' welsh longhouse, and the so-called double glazing is basically useless. While some homes have solar panels and air source heat pumps, our climate still makes it very expensive to deploy air source heat pumps in winter thanks to the exorbitant cost of electricity. Your new home is amazing.
That's a bummer to hear.
We live in a 100 year old brick building in Chicago and I may be wrong, but as I understand it, if we insulate between the brick and drywall, the bricks could freeze in the winter and cause damage. So... we have to pay to heat our exterior walls...
We are ok to insulate the roof and we are able to use electric heating with our dual fuel heatpump and furnace most of the year.
I hope we can figure out these issues for new construction, but not sure how limited we are for all the old stuff.
Not sure how cold it gets there compared to the uk, but most brick homes in the uk have been fitted with cavity wall insulation, which is just small bits of insulation pumped into the space between the two brick walls. Done all the time here.
@@pikapomelo The insulation needs to be put on the outside of brick or concrete walls,, otherwise you would run into problems with the moisture accumulating inside the structure. If you are not allowed to put anything on the outer side of the facade, for code reasons or whatever, you'll get more results in replacing the windows, or even making sure that they get insulated properly (the seams that connect the windows to the facade wall - usually with some sort of expanding foam).
I live in Spain and I always find it amusing how misinformed Americans are about European Countries. Oftentimes I wonder where they get their information.
Most construction in Spain is very old and very poorly insulated and definitely not energy efficient.
Today I learned about cavity wall brick buildings. Thanks!
I'm pretty sure ours is solid brick.
Good to know about the windows. We do have double pane at least. And to know insulating outside the structure is an option.
This is a 6 unit condo and I doubt the other units want to change the facade. It also goes right up against the sidewalk.
I guess there are so many different ways these things are built.
I always wondered how houses in Florida where its generally hot have fitted carpets, breeding grounds for bugs and slanted roofs normally used for snow areas that can easily be blown away by hurricanes.
Carpets are not an issue, in regards to the roof, it's usually for storage and additional insulation. We've got a pretty brutal sun and either vaulting the ceiling or just raising the roof makes a pretty big difference. New constructions have long rods that anchor to the foundation to keep our roofs pretty well locked on tight
NZ seems to match the green colour you were looking at. I'm in Wellington (windy). I built a 5 bedroom house with double glazing. I've needed to turn on a heater about 2-3 X a year. I have concrete floors so that helps cooling. I aim to put in heat pump air con soon but had to wait due to cost overruns on the build.
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I do agree that we need to figure out ways to make homes more energy efficient and improve standards on construction materials but my concern is that more regulation will further increase costs. I'm not sure how they can implement these higher standards without making homes more unaffordable.
With or without regulations, such homes would invariably be more expensive.
Leave to the state, regulation middlemen will take a slice. Leave to the companies, they will milk profit out of "gourmet houses". Wealthier people frequently don't care for how expensive such houses are, and some may even turn them into rental housing or keep them as assets. The market as it is, right now, is not ready for such housing.
I'm having a house built in Texas right now. Adding all that cool whizbang tech would increase the cost substantially. Requiring it would drive up the cost of housing.
My house is about 100 years old, the only insulation that it had before I bought it was 1/4 inch foam board under the siding. 😭
I have been adding insulation as I renovate it. When I get to replacing the siding I’ll probably add Zip-R sheathing for additional insulation and to finally make the home airtight.
One interesting thing I heard about architecture and civil engineering: of all the natural resources that do not exist in Korean peninsula, one of very few resources that actually exist in abundance is limestone. Cement and concrete are hard to haul over long distance, but an abundant limestone reserves within a landmass as small as Ireland means endless rows of high-rise concrete apartment buildings.
pretty sure that's not a reason, Malaysia is also relatively limestone heavy, they still have lots of landed properties. In fact several HOAs full of double storied semi-detach.
IMO it's a lot more efficient to cattle nearly every one into the high rises, and also a danger in times of war which is a consideration I'm pretty sure the ROK government considered on top of the severely mountainous geography of the Korean P. . Can't really fight CQB without the urban and tight element...
I recently saw on YT US American carpenters who were visiting Switzerland, including a training center for carpenters, and their eyes popped out. One guy said I'll never call myself "master" again after I saw that! Training is an important point! Craftsmanship still counts for something in Europe.
Interesting comparison!
I'm from central Europe and first heard about the north american building style in my lectures about fire safety that the houses usually take 5 min to burn down.
Would be very interesting if you could do another video by comparing the differences more in detail. :)
They don’t care bc. a Mexican will have fully rebuild, correction: nail-gunned it 10 min later. American Desaster handling is following Groundhog-Day principles.
From my understanding, the five minutes is due mainly to the abundance of synthetic things within the homes, such as fake christmas trees when it was displayed. The difference was wild compared to a more natural tree with an unsynthetic home. I personally am upset at what the United States is becoming since I have been observing since my childhood. It is annoying we don't have huge nuclear programs, the best train systems, cleanest cities, up to date efficient building standards, my philosphy is to use the scientific method of if it is better for the country in the long run and science proves it we go that direction for the benefit of the country. A lot of any opinions of what about the benefit of our pockets, and not like the old clips of insperation from JFK describing why we go to the moon with the Appollo rockets sadly have passed. I want the United States to be the best at everything, not just a saying, and we used to go about those things in a more scientific approach.
You did a really good job. Lots of planning. I believe ICF would have been even better. Did you consider ICF in an earlier video that I can watch? Thanks for the great videos!
One other thing I’ve noticed is that without stronger regulation it can be harder finding the right products on the local market.
Few businesses will invest in a product that people won’t buy due to potentially increased price, personal knowledge or contractors who have learnt how to work with the product. Making the regulation stronger gives businesses a motivation to take the risk in the more efficient methods and products.
Not to mention it might be harder to have contractors rip you off buy using less than great materials while gouging you for upscale stuff. They would have to account for their work as far as the inspectors were concerned.
It also makes construction more expensive and people who would be able to build their first home won't be anymore. We see this in the car industry today with safety and polution regulations, prices are too high for poor people to own their cars.
@@iskabin why the focus on building a home, when homes could be made to last longer?
@@AndreJohnMas I know, and I agree with you in that point. We always want the better home for the longest time we can afford. My point is, if you make building any home more expensive, you make it so people with lesser income cannot ever build one. Not everyone can build the best, more technological and efficient home that will last for generations, would be great if it were like this, but it simply isn't.
@@AndreJohnMasI mean, if population continues to grow at all (and we better hope it does), then we'll have a constant need for new homes.
You highlight the savings but forgot to add in the cost difference between what you have and the other houses do. Solar panels and windows arent free. Also it'd be useful to factor in the degradation of the insulation and other air tight structures as the home naturally settles which all do or materials break down. It seems like there is an assumption that the materials last in perpetuity.
Return of investment. If you are going to live there for 40 years it will be cheap in the long run. If you selling at least where I'm located will bring much higher price (usually higher than investment cost) compared to a house with bad grade.
Materials used for it will last, isolation will not degrade and settle if done correctly, my 50s home was isolated in the 80s with rock wool by previous owner, it has not settled yet. A heat pump (ground) has a calculated lifespan of 25 years and the technlogy has moved forward so fast that atleast the ones that are 25 years old now are so inefficient that the savings are made up in a a couple of years for a new on, the piping wont need touch for 60-100 years depending on how long the hole lasts.
Same with most consecerning "passive" house
We built an very efficient house using geothermal pumps for heating/cooling and domestic hot water in 2020. The house is very tight and has a HRV for air exchanges. It is a very comfortable house to live in and with the 10.4 KW solar array out back the only energy cost is the monthly minimum service fee. To top it off we built a very traditional old farmhouse style house and quite a few people compliment us on how nice our old house looks. We have the best of both worlds!
Sweden: U value preferably below 0,15 (0,15/5,6783=0,026 US U value). Standard prefab house, cheapest option: Around (depending on house model, manufacturer and so) 0,14-0,2 (0,024-0,035). Most energy efficient houses, passive houses, do not need extra heating. And we are talking in dark cold Sweden! You might even need to open a window during winter if you have a few visitors for dinner since it can be too warm. =)
I was introduced to tilt-and-turn windows as an exchange student in Germany; my dorm room had one. I loved it.
Yeah they are less common in the US since they cost 2-3 times more.
Over 25 years ago, when we lived in the UK, we had new windows fitted to our 1960s home and all the windows were tilt-and-turn triple glazed. As you can imagine, it was a bit of a shock to move here and see how antiquated and inefficient the windows are. The energy bills were an even bigger shock.
@@jscomino actually……most Americans can’t afford to triple the cost of their windows. Unless you’re independently wealthy, the bank is rarely going to float you a loan on a property that won’t appraise for what it costs to build. Putting lipstick on a pig raised the cost of the home but rarely results in a sales price to match.
@@jscominoYep, Americans are freely polluting the air with unnecessary CO2, only thinking about themselves today and no inclination to consider their own descendants. They can do that because big fossil fuel is still being subsidised like no-one has ever heard of climate change. No incentives to change their ways. There's a water crisis in many desert states and people still build private pools as if they lived near the great lakes. Denial is the overarching mentality there. Your idea of freedom is called cruel selfishness everywhere else. The land of the me, me, me.
@@jscomino Yes and now evry one become poor in my country, Familys gona loos ther houses becose the have to insulate a home that can not be insulated ore the price of insulating is same price as the price of the house. The gouvment become crazy.
We have triple paned turn and tilt here, why didn't you buy them?
You're the problem.
@@jscomino Yes. The country banning books and abortion has the freedom to choose. Delusional American has entered the chat.
I think it should be understandable that not all aspects of a house are equally important everywhere. I had a new house build here in Norway in 2018 and it is very energy efficient indeed, though it's not what we call a "passive house" which takes it to an extreme. Features like being able to reuse heat (pre-heating incoming air using the heat of outgoing air) in the ventilation system is mandatory for new houses here and is obviously of much more use to me in the winter months in minus 20-25 C than it would be in, say, L.A. As an engineer I'm naturally interested in optimizations and efficient design, but one should not lose sight of the environment in which the system runs to make sure the optimizations actually are worth it.
Our Scandinavian home was built in 2017 to meet the building requirements of the national 2020 building codes.
Those requirements only allow the blow door test (ACH) results to be a max of 0,5.
Our house came in at 0,24, (meaning our 2100+ sq ft house cost approx 710$ to heat a year incl. heating all the hot water for the year.)
And these are general building codes here. They are renewed set every 5 years. And as they outdate I do believe you can’t build according to older codes if you want the house approved for living.
That’s why most builders build up to the newest codes years in advance, as the updated codes are published.
It’s interesting to se the differences across the world.
Yeah it is interesting. It only costs $500 for heating and cooling my same size 65+ year old home in Northern US.
Hi Matt - You mention you have a certificate that shows a saving of $5891 compared to average house in your area. I live about 30 miles from your property and my energy cost last year was $2745 electricity and $1963 natural gas for a 5 bedroom 3800 sq.ft colonial. Last year 2022 was exceptionally higher for natural gas and electricity compared to previous 2 years. I would consider my 28 year old house average or slightly below for the area. Could you please explain how I could get $2745+$1963-$5891 = -$1183 i.e. I would not pay anything in annual energy cost and get paid to rebuild my house to the same standard as yours. I don't have solar panels which is the comparison you mention in your video
LOL, 3800 square feet in AZ in 20 year old house, that covers Gas, Electricity, Water including Pool and Irrigation, Garbage, and Internet here.
*I LIVE IN A PASSIVE APARTMENT BLOCK* in Bulgaria* - it has very basic passive heating and cooling based on thermal mass and a wind catcher on the roof.
My energy bill is about $20 a month
It was built by the communists for the officers of the Bulgarian Navy. The walls are 30cm thick concrete. They heat up all summer and keep you warm all winter [till Feb]
Back in the '80's we bought a 1200 sq ft house with concrete walls. It had no insulation. The first winter it got down to -15f. The 100k BTU furnace could barely keep up. Over the years I gutted it and framed out the inside with 2x6 over 2" Iso board then 6" of Roxul. On the outside I put 1" foam board and wood siding. Added triple pane with storm windows. Put R100 in the attic. Just waste heat from living keeps the house warm down to about 10 degrees. I remember buying the windows and storm windows the sales man thought I was nuts. I still have my 70 year old furnace because it has gone whole winters without coming on but when it does it is super quiet and modern furnaces are always broken. I like my cast iron heat exchanger. I had the furnace reduced to 40k btu. The HVAC guy said he had never put a super efficient A/C unit in such an old furnace before.
Apart from heat pump. The house described is a standard minimum style house from ~30 years ago. However I think municipal heat, which is common in Finland in urban areas, compensates the lack of heat pump tech in 90s. Also everyone basically has reserving fireplace in their house.
Downside of the Euro efficient house is the hot summers we are getting. Once the building has warmed in the summer heat, you can't cool it down. And heavy insulation prevents cooler outside during night or just random cool day from cooling the building either. Big problem especially with big buildings. You can feel the buildings radiating heat during summer nights after baking in the sun for few days or if the air been very warm. Ability to take in heat during winter is good, but not during summer.
Our friends built a 3 story home in Romania and they have no need to air conditioning. Even on the hot days, the air flow and design of the home keeps it cool. The walls are about 18 inches thick on the outside AND inside too.
I'm trying to retrofit my house in Canada but have found it quite expensive and wish we had higher building standards when my house was built 20 years ago. I am making headway but will probably have to invest 100K to get near 0 energy score. Currently at 37 down from 133 but still pushing. I appreciate all your information ... very valuable on new ways forward to energy efficiency in my home.
I hear that. I also live in Canada, and my house was built in the 1920s.
My home was built in 1947. We need government help with insulation and efficient window replacement....return our tax dollars where we need them.
Of course it is expensive and why it was not done to begin with. Still got you to buy it eh? Of course several things which I am sure you already did can easily and cheaply increase energy efficiency such as sealing wall/siding joints, attic etc.
The Build Show showed a really cool tech that can be used to seal up cracks upto 1/2" in the whole house by overpressurizing the building and blowing in finely atomized caulking. It was very cool and would work wonders on older buildings....
I live in the uk and I would have loved it if our building control inspectors actually did their job and inspected houses while they were being built. When renovating my bathroom I pulled the plater off the walls and found the gap between the outside and inside wall was almost non existent so my insulation between the walls is almost useless. The walls at the bottom of the house have a nice gap as I noted when I had new windows out in.
Also it would have been nice if the builders owned a plumb line and a few squares so they could know what a right angle is.
No one can even say, this couldn’t work on a bigger scale - I went to a school that was certified as a passive building iirc, or at least very close to it. It lacked in nothing and was a retrofitted older school originally build during GDR times
I will note that stringent and extensive housing regulations and codes can often have the effect of 1) stifling innovation to an extent 2) preventing individuals from purchasing even the lowest end options and 3) negatively impacting personal freedom. For the second point look towards Canada for a prime example. They are one of the top 3 countries to have the most land, yet many cannot afford even what could be considered a modest home due to all the regulations and codes implemented and enforced by their government.
I won't speak towards or discuss the potential long term benefits/effects of adhering to such specifications, but I will point out that such stringent government mandated and enforced regulations and codes can and do create an often unsurmountable point of entry the bars all but the most wealthy from obtaining a suitable home for ones needs.
The North American energy system has to be one of the biggest achilles' heel for modern houses in the US. The European 400V based TN system is superior in almost every way.
Since I live in Norway, one of the world's most bureaucratic and over regulated countries in the world. I also want to add that government regulations like building codes aren’t always positive, because it often causes a lot of negative side effects like the requirement to send a building application to local regulators which would then be approved or declined. This causes a lot of bureaucracy, time and cost and, it removes your freedom to decide what you want to do with your own house and property.
Building codes also often impose specific tasks to be done by certified personnel or installers. For DIY persons like me, this has become a nightmare because I’m not allowed to touch any electrical of plumbing work if I want it "legally installed"… It doesn't matter if you are qualified to do the job. As long as you dont have the right papers, electrical or plumbing work are illegal. Obtaining the papers to do this kind of work are impossible for private persons that does not work as installers in a certified business, which are also are required to have a pile of certified papers. To obtain papers with the permits to this kind of work, well you would need to take 2 years of education at a certified school, and then work as an apprentice for 2 more years. So yeah, it takes you 4 years of education to legally be able to mount a power outlet in. your own house...
So, the point is, be careful about wishing for more regulations and requirements even if they were initially positive. Because the side effects often have massively negative consequences for a lot of people.
I feel you mate. It's the same here at the southern side of the Alps, sadly.
@@AccidentalScience Sad to see the bureaucracy cancer spreading to your country too... If they had only made it possible to take a test or something to prove that you have the necessary qualifications, a lot of problems would have been solved. Such a test could then have given you a permit to work and do installations on your own property.
Trust me, the bureaucracy in the US is way worse. Having more regulations is not automatically better. But likewise, having none is not a good choice either. It’s about having the correct kinds of regulations for the right purposes, and making sure that the systems in place to support and enforce them are efficient and just.
@@petaren I agree with you, but you guys have a different type of bureaucracy, and since the US generally is a more liberal country, where the political landscape is far more to the right and personal freedom and rights is way more valued. The direct consequences for people’s lives are often less.
Just to give an example on differences on how most people in Norway and the US think from my point of view. In Norway it is illegal to drive a dirt bike on your own field, because it can be dangerous and if you injure yourself the government gets the cost for your healthcare etc. Most people support this because we are used to such regulations.
In the US it is legal to drive a dirt bike on your own field, and the government does not care because you would need to take care of yourself if you are injured etc. Unlike Norwegians you Americans are used to this kind of freedom and responsibility. So, you are automatically a lot more negative to regulations that would limit your freedom.
I hope you get my point even if the example wasn't the best.
@@TheJensss I agree that there are definitely more liberties in some aspects in the US. My own experience is one of growing up in Sweden and moving to the US with my company. The experience from a business perspective was that there were significantly more bureaucracy to operate a business in the US compared to Sweden. Not just from a government perspective, but also in terms of doing business with other companies.
When it comes to building houses, it’s about the same story. Getting permits and doing things in Sweden has its bureaucracy, but it’s fairly well known and deterministic. Over here, it’s a whole different story. It’s expensive, permits can cost as much as a house in Sweden, it’s time consuming and difficult.
Just visited my friends in Colorado with a new suburban house built in the last two years. I am an energy auditor as a side business and yet I've never seen such leaky windows. There was maybe a 5 mph wind outside and it howled through the huge gaps around the sides. The house was built huge - but built very cheaply. This is where we need regulations. My friends did not know what they were getting into and had no way to understand how cheaply constructed some of their house is.
please no. Keep the regulations for yourself and Europe. If any make adverstisments of how much money you can save with german windows.
We only built houses to such low standards in the decade after WW2, everything both before and after is built to much higher standards.
A few days ago I was delivering something to Idaho, 30min south of Coeur d'Alene, a new subdivision - $3-$5mil dollar houses covered with just the T......k membrane before siding, no outside insulation ;((( loss of energy will be huge.....
Regulations kill business and make things more expensive. Their problem was they picked a shoddy builder and went cheap. You get what you pay for.
Regulations are there to ensure people and the world are kept safe. Funnily enough some of the most heavily regulated countries and the most vibrant economies. Largely because people trust their products and so they can charge a premium for them.
So your argument is that no regulations are best because I can make products cheaper regardless of any safely features. Yeah maybe that’s why no one buys the gas guzzler trucks and cars that the US makes.
Another great video! It was interesting you mentioned an increase in air leakage resulting in an increase in mold development. In the UK generally we see the opposite. With an increase in double glazed windows, there has been a lack of ventilation, resulting in moisture buildup from respiration, cooking, clothes drying and bathroom condensation. The more air tight the home, the greater the need for a form of forced, mechanical ventilation. I am not sure if this is because we have a more humid atmosphere, the predominant wind direction being SW'erly straight from the Atlantic?
Happy to hear you guys think about this. Newly build homes in the Netherlands have an energy rating of A++ or even A+++. If you apply these rules at scales you can make it affordable and profitable over the lifetime of the home.
And because of those rules building a house is so expensive that most people can’t even afford a house anymore, do you not watch the news or anything? A contractor can’t sell a house that cost them 400k in land and building for 300k
How does these ratings translate in practice? The number of plusses can look impressive, but they have to have concrete figures attached to mean anything to the reader.
Apparantly the americans have the constitutional right to waste energy.
@@Mark-vn7et What do building rules have to do with the price of the land?
@@SuperDirk1965 because it’s a combined factor, so unless you want to build a motorhome you kinda need land to build on
I love that you got involved with Matt Risinger as both of you are very tallented and enjoy learning not only what the new processes are but what makes them better....if they are even better. The scientific approach both of you take is why anyone that is remodeling, building, or having a home built needs to watch your videos
Very informative and informative as always. In the part of Canada where I live, there are energy efficiency subsidies that will also pay for certified inspectors evaluating your energy efficiency before and after the works to help evaluate the subsidies, but their report also provides a prioritized and personalized list of improvements that can be done to reduce the energy costs even further.
US has that and they will pay for many basic improvements for the owner. Simple government money doing the right thing.
In my previous apartment (72m2 or 775sqf) in Oslo, Norway buildt back in 2008 I did not need to turn on any heating before outside temperatures reached -15*C (5F) Inside temps never reached under 19*C (66F) in those conditions.
Alpen HPP is the first company in America to build their windowsnto Passive House Standard. The recently broke the glazing world with their Thin Glass Triple and Thin Glass Quad. The recently replaced all glazing in the Empire State Building with Alpen glass and they're saving millions on energy costs. Considered to be one of the deepest green energy retrofits in America.
My guess would be that cost of housing is the main barrier. Even the most modest and inefficient houses cost a fortune and take a lifetime to pay. Most people can’t afford additional costs upfront and would rather pay increased cost of operations over the life of the house
No, modest houses do not cost a lifetime to pay. Even regular houses don't cost that much. 30 years at most. A tiny house starts from around 10000 euro as a kit and for 60000 you get a luxury tiny home completely furbished. Regular homes start around 120000 for prefab timber frame structures. That would take you about 15 years to pay off. Most people just have very specific demands that are unrealistic in the current housing market (like my single friend who is angry with the government because he can't buy a nice apartment by himself in the middle of the most popular city in the country, while only working 4 days a week and going on holiday 5 (!!!) times a year. This year he flew to Norway for a midweek, to the US for a weekend, went to France for two weeks, and went skiing twice).
A few extra insulation boards would only cost three to four hundred dollars and would pay back in six months. The price of housing is hardly related to construction costs.
@@i.k.8868 you aren't getting any kind of house for less than 200k in the U.S and that's just the bare bones.
I’m building a house in the Hudson Valley of NY. With all the incentives now for high-efficiency mechanicals & solar, it’s almost cost-neutral to use these technologies vs conventional ones. The payback time is very short, < 5 years. The SIPs might be a bit more expensive, and I guess it’s harder to calculate the payback time for the extra insulation (though I’m sure Matt could drop some more acronyms and decimals and figure it!), but again, even if you don’t care about the environmental impact, it just makes financial sense.
I tried building with SIPS and the local government in Pennsylvania stands in the way of approving anything but a stick built house. It was going to be 2 years of red tape.
@@MrPizzaman09 If they're too stupid to wrap their heads around SIPs you could always stick build with 2x6 cavity and do continuous exterior insulation like Zip-R and nailbase EPS roofing.
Sir Ferrell, this is really informative, thanks for sharing! I just subscribed. Is there any chance you could expand on this topic with some content about (preventing) mold? You mention it briefly around the 9:00 mark pertaining to airtightness and ACH50. I've had terrible experiences with apartment mold throughout my 20s and would like to understand it better from this angle.
Live in sweden. Since we have a cold climate, most houses have good isolation 2-3 pane windows, heat pumps are everywhere. Sure some older homes are worse but can usually be retrofitted with air heatpump and drastically decrease electricity needs.