Ultra-Energy Efficient House Coming to Deanwood
File this under very cool projects — an ultra-energy efficient house designed for the annual Solar Decathlon on the National Mall will end up as a duplex in Deanwood. The passive house was built by students from The New School, Stevens Institute of Technology and the Milano School of International Affairs.
Passive houses, which are 90 percent energy efficient, can require hefty upfront investments — a recently completed passive house is Bethesda is listed at $1.68 million. That’s a large price tag, particularly in Ward 7 where nearly 38 percent of residents make less than $25,000 annually.
“Rather than this being a futuristic house that only the richest or most eccentric can afford… we’re bringing the energy efficiency to real life. This is something people can achieve now,” student Eric Rau says in the video.
The land was donated by the District to Habitat for Humanity, which will place two families in the duplex home.
