Building Passive House: On Spec, During a Pandemic, and In a Weird Market

Several years ago, in southwestern Ontario, Canada, Langlois Eco Homes took on the challenge of building a small new development to the Passive House standard. The team wanted to set an example for other homebuilders and increase ambition for climate-conscious building. They couldn’t foresee a pandemic, with its uncertainties, supply chain disruptions, and soaring costs. They also couldn’t foresee the tremendous market upswing — or its precipitous downturn. With a team made up of Passive House professionals and enthusiastic newcomers, meeting the PH standard turned out to be the easy part. The project is currently waiting for full PHIUS certification, with all six homes on the market. The project team joins the Accelerator to report on how it started, how it’s going, and lessons learned along the way.