A High-Performance Home Kept This Family Comfortable During Power Outages
How Passive House Building Kept a Kansas City Homeowner Comfortable During a Power Outage
It’s not news to state that the electrical grid is becoming more unstable by the month. From outdated infrastructure to a fast-growing population to inclement weather, people who live in Kansas City and the US in general are having to get used to more frequent and longer power outages. This usually makes for uncomfortable living conditions, as most homes leak air and moisture. They get too hot in the summer and cold in the winter when the electricity is off. But in a Passive House or a high-performance home, the experience is a lot more pleasant.
“We probably lose power every three months due to power outages in the local electrical grid,” said Sush,
who built a Kala home with his wife Morgen and two children in Overland Park, Kansas.
“We were out of power for four days during the big storms that hit Kansas City this summer and were able to stay comfortable in the house,” Sush said. “It was pretty stable. With outdoor temperatures in the low-to-mid-90s all week, the highest the temperature got on the top floor was 79. Our middle level was in the mid-70s, and the lower floor was even more comfortable.”
Sush realized that he could probably get away with not running their air conditioning and just open the windows in the morning and again at night. He never previously thought that they could do that in the high heat and humidity of a Kansas City summer.
“I think we could have stayed on the middle and bottom floors of the house for a long time or even indefinitely as long as the temperature was low enough during the evenings,” Sush said. “The natural environment of the house is really nice and separates us from extreme weather outdoors.”
Enjoying Better Air Quality
By day three or four, the Govindans were opening the windows of their home in the morning and evening and living comfortably despite the persistent power outage. However, while the fresh air was appreciated and welcome, they realized that they were longing for the continuous filtered and clean air usually supplied by the ERV system.
“You don’t realize quite how important the ERV is until you don’t have it for a few days,” Sush said. “There was a definite difference between the quality of air with and without the ERV running.”
Kala suggests that during an extended power outage, lasting more than 3 or 4 days, the windows in the house be opened during the coolest part of the night and then closed again before temperatures rise during the day. The converse would apply in the winter. This will keep the air in the house fresh.
Feeling Comfortable with a Consistent Temperature & Humidity Level
Once the utility company fixed the damaged power lines and other infrastructure impacted by the storms, Sush and his family’s electricity supply was restored, and they were back to enjoying the comfort of a stable indoor environment. Unlike with a traditional AC system, the combination of an ERV and a heat pump provides consistent temperature and humidity level all year round, despite the extreme seasonal swings in the Kansas City climate. Sush has only had to touch his thermostat two or three times total.
“Our experience in the house is controlled,” Sush said. “It’s just a very different experience than the homes we’ve owned in the past. We keep our house around 75 degrees and it is the same temperature and climate everywhere. I’ve never had that before. We are coming up on three years of living in our Kala home and no matter the weather, the experience in the house doesn’t change.”
