Affordable units you can heat with a TV

Jeremy Brooks, a Walsh Construction superintendent on the Orchards at Orenco apartment project in Hillsboro, posted a sign in his trailer that reads Nothing on this job is typical.

Thats not an overstatement.

When Orchards at Orenco opens in 2015, it will be the largest passive-house building in North America. The 57-unit Phase 1 is being built to the superinsulated standards of the movement that began in Europe as passivahus and is slowly spreading to energy hog America.

Passive house projects built in the Portland area typically are higher-end single-family homes. But Orchards at Orenco is being built by Portlands Reach Community Development, a nonprofit housing developer that hopes to rent the apartment units for $611 to $733 a month.

Heating bills will be minimal, since passive houses use the highest-known standards in energy efficiency. The airtight membrane at Orchards will be two to three times tighter than normal.

A passive house lives and dies by its insulation. Architects and construction workers must minimize drafts and thermal bridges metal pipes or other components that can transfer heat quickly between inside and outside. Installing one leaky window here could be a disaster in terms of wasted energy. Catching it and fixing it could be very costly, so quality control is key, according to Brooks.

Costs higher

Orchards at Orenco will cost 11 percent more than traditional construction, according to project architect Michael Bonn, of Ankrom Moisan. The added costs come from a mix of labor and materials, including a sophisticated ventilation system to assure air flow.

Where the Tyvek has been stapled, it must be taped over with Siga Wigluv, a high-tack tape that costs $75 a roll. And Bonn chose stainless steel flashing over cheaper steel.

The brick will last 200 years, but if you use normal steel flashing it starts to rust in 25 years. Then you have to peel off the expensive brick to get to it, and thats a cost.

More:
Affordable units you can heat with a TV