How EcoCor is Changing the Game in Green Homes

EcoCor is a company that partners with builders, architects and owners of buildings to eliminate the difficulties commonly found with Passive House construction and design. Located in Searsmont, Maine, EcoCor started the company to improve upon the execution of energy-efficient, architecturally-unique, healthy design projects. The company recognized that others were struggling with the cost and complexity of constructing green buildings and has collaborated to bring their experience to new clients. The company believes that quality and cost are not related and sustainability is no longer simply an option. EcoCor is changing the game in green home design and construction to improve upon efficiency and cost.

Green Homes

Green home or passive housing, is a voluntary but rigorous standard for energy-efficiency within a building to reduce its ecological footprint. The results of a green home is an extremely-low energy building that requires little energy for cooling or space heating. Green home technologies and designs are typically applied to new constructions, however, there are several instances where existing buildings have been retrofitted. Green home design is not a supplement that is added in to architectural design but, instead, an integrated design-build process.

Why Select a Green Home

Constructing a residence to the Passive House Standard results in a reduction in operational energy demand to reach an optimized extend using passive measures and equipment including airtightness, insulation, solar heat gains, heat recovery, solar shading and incidental internal heat gains. This type of construction consistently delivers up to a 90-percent reduction in cooling and heating demand and 75-percent reduction in overall primary energy demand when compared to the standard building. The following is a list of six reasons to select this type of standard with EcoCor:

Addresses the Climate Crisis Imperative

One of the biggest reasons to select a green home is that it mitigates the worst results of climate change. Green housing accomplishes this through low energy usage of the rich and poor. It slashes overall energy demand and maintains services in the developed world.

Affordable

The methodology of this type of construction standard is only an added building cost premium of 5-10-percent due to the construction costs for high performance elements that are significantly offset by reducing heating and cooling system sizes. With a firm like EcoCor, projects are streamlined and optimized to save money. Typically, the extra cost payback is less than a decade due to reduced maintenance and energy bills.

Enables Almost Zero Energy in Buildings

Constructing specific renewable energy production is an expensive and complicated process that consume space. However, when a home’s energy demand is minimized using passive housing, renewable requirements are much smaller, more achievable and more affordable.

Global Building Energy Performance Standard

Although the energy standard is uniform, the paths are achieved in a variety of manners and typically incorporate local building tradition and climate specific to optimization of the process. Whether the local building tradition is comprised of masonry or wood, the Passive House Standard can be applied to anything.

Global Collaboration

The roots of this type of design derive from a variety of countries who conducted studies on lower energy buildings and formalized the research with the Passive House Institute. Therefore, on a global level, there is a regular exchange of information and data between engineers, builders, designers, scientists and occupants, all of whom are improving it by the day.

Produces a Predictable Result

Passive Housing uses a clear methodology focused on optimization of passive construction components and the validated energy model known as the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) which is the core component for integrating all systems. It acts as the basis for verification of the Standard. The accuracy of the model differentiates it from other types of designs thus allowing for cooling and heating systems to be sized 75-percent smaller than in the typical home.

EcoCor’s Effectiveness

With constant exposure to chemicals in the air across the world, it is critical to be cautious as to what is brought into the home. Health and comfort are just as critical as responsible material choices and sustainability. Using the knowledge of current building concepts and best practices, building science and a dedication to super-efficient construction, EcoCor can change the game with providing the most comfortable, healthiest and high –performing buildings that only existing with their creative minds.

As a result of their dedication, EcoCor is the first certified Passive House component producer in the world outside of Europe. As a result, they can change the way in which homes are built in the United States and many other locations to better benefit the environment and health of the residents who will own the home. EcoCor utilizes a panelize construction process for green homes to make for a more streamlined construction process. Essentially, the components for the home are prefabricated at a factory to the Passive Home Standard. Then, the components are transported to the construction site for final assembly. This method is more cost-effective and efficient with few negative aspects. EcoCor’s panelized component construction includes walls, roofs, windows and even the foundations of homes.

Being that EcoCor is the only certified Passive Home component manufacturer outside of Europe, they are the only game in town. The company has taken a common construction idea, pre-fabrication of components, and added the Passive Home Standard to them to transform the residence into a green home during construction. The company has differentiated from the un-certified through its panelized construction which is cost-effective, fast and better for the environment since there are less trucks on-site, polluting the area.

EcoCor has really found a special niche that is certainly going to explode over the next few years. The biggest draws are that potential homeowners can improve upon the environment by lowering the demand for energy and save a significant amount of cash on the energy that they are not consuming. For many across the world, this is a major benefit and appealing factor to having such a home. Although the demand for this type of home is low, expect it to increase in the near future.