Inward solar vapor drive and damp earth tubes conspire to ruin an expensive new superinsulated home
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The [first single-family Passivhaus in the U.S.][4] was completed by Katrin Klingenberg in 2004. Klingenberg's superinsulated home in Urbana, Illinois includes two unusual features: a ventilation system that pulls fresh outdoor air through a buried earth tubeVentilation air intake tube, usually measuring 8 or more inches in diameter and buried 5 or more feet below grade. Earth tubes take advantage of relatively constant subterranean temperatures to pre-heat air in winter and pre-cool it in summer. In humid climates, some earth tubes develop significant amounts of condensation during the summer, potentially contributing to indoor air quality problems., and walls that include an interior layer of OSB. These details were not invented by Klingenberg; she adopted practices that were commonly used by European Passivhaus builders.
[1]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Passivhaus - Belgium - Hego Hens paper.jpg (Photo of a Passivhaus in Belgium)
[2]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/belgian-passivhaus-rendered-uninhabitable-bad-indoor-air
[3]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/blog-river/Katrin Klingenberg house - air intake 3.jpg (Photo of ductwork at the house of Katrin Klingenberg in Urbana)
[4]: http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/homes/first-us-passive-house-shows-energy-efficiency-can-be-affordable
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