Unity College to Host Passive House Standard Training Class on October 8, SMCC on October 9

Unity, Maine - The first training classes in the Passive House building standard ever to be held in Maine have been announced.
     PassivhausMAINE, a recently formed group of building professionals, will hold “Introduction to Passive House” classes, offered by the Passive House Academy, Brooklyn, NY and Dublin, Ireland.
     On October 8, Unity College will host a training class from 2 – 5:30 p.m. Unity College is located at 90 Quaker Hill Road, Unity, Maine.
     On October 9, Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) will host a session from 9 – 12:30 p.m.
     The cost is $110.00 per student.  Registration is through PHA’s website at www.passivehouseacademy.com.
     For more information contact Naomi C.O. Beal, PassivhausMAINE Coordinator at 207.710.9478, or by e-mail ncobphoto@me.com.
     Passive House standards, which originate in Darmstadt, Germany are characterized by super insulation, air tight construction and fully mechanized ventilation and represent a savings in building energy costs of 80-90%.  Passive House stands for healthy, comfortable living and impressive energy efficiency, regardless of the regional climate. Within the last several years, Passive House has gained rapidly in popularity, with over 37,000 in existence worldwide, and some 4,500 certified according to strict Passive House Institute certification criteria. These numbers are on the rise.
     Maine is home to two certified Passive House Buildings and a number of other buildings, which attain passive house standard but have not gone through the certification process.
     PassivhausMAINE is committed to increasing the number of buildings built to Passive House standard and expanding the scope to include commercial and multi-unit buildings whose greater size increase the ease with which the standards can be met and amplify the economic and environmental benefits.
     When it was completed in August of 2011, Unity College’s TerraHaus residence hall opened as the first college or university residence hall built to the Passive House standard, one of the strictest building energy performance standards in the world.
     Having completed its first year of housing Unity College students, TerraHaus has not only lived up to its ultra-energy efficient billing, but received the EcoHome Grand Award 2012 http://www.gologichomes.com/blog/2012/08/ecohome-grand-award-2012-terrahaus-unity-college-dorm/
     Unity College is a small private college in rural Maine that provides dedicated, engaged students with a liberal arts education that emphasizes the environment and natural resources. Unity College graduates are prepared to be environmental stewards, effective leaders, and responsible citizens through active learning experiences within a supportive community.