Here we share some observations about and snapshots of the Passive House we had built in Oakland County, Michigan. All photographs were taken by us unless otherwise noted.

Over the course of two years our all-electric house has consumed on average one kilowatt. Since there is no consumption of gas or wood, this rate includes all heating, cooking, ventilation (almost always running in a passive house), lighting, refrigeration, computer use, etc. From spring through summer the consumption is about 12 to 15 kWh per day; in the winter on cold days and nights we can reach three times that amount. However, the energy consumption rate is only part of the story. This house is comfortable. At one whole house change of air every three hours the interior air is always fresh.

Our new solar panel array was installed by Michigan Solar Solutions on the eight-to-twelve pitch roof of our barn. During July, its first full month of operation, we collected over 1,000 kWh. Depending on how well it performs in winter, this rate should bring our farmstead close to net-zero over the course of a year. It is a grid-tied system; our electrical utility credits us for any excess energy we place in the grid.

We enjoyed hosting the wedding of Faith and Ryan over the weekend. Our draft horse Jake had the honor of conveying Faith to the ceremony with much appreciated help from Chris and Scott, Jake’s former owners.