Low Energy Dwelling in Cold Conifer-Forested Microclimates: A Thermal Efficiency Case Study

A proposed carbon neutral dwelling in a cold region, alpine-forested microclimate is analyzed using a building energy analysis program and is redesigned to improve energy efficiency. The Passive House standard is used as a design guideline and a Passive House certified dwelling is used as a case study for comparison. By increasing thermal performance parameters of the proposed dwelling, energy costs are reduced by 67%.