How This New York Couple Lowered Their Home’s Energy Usage by More Than 70%

UpdatedNov 2, 2021 11:22 AM EDT

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When energy efficient gets thrown around, LED lightbulbs and water-saving dishwashers come to mind, right? But for architecture firm BarlisWedlick, a member of the U.S. Green Building Council and Passive House Institute U.S., every project is a chance to focus on the outside as much as the inside. When a couple in Westchester, New York, came to them to revamp the dated exterior of their ’80s home (the siding’s paint was chipping beyond repair), the design consult quickly turned into a chat about how the property could qualify for passive house certification. In the end, the firm slashed the home’s energy usage by more than 70 percent. (And per the U.S. Department of Energy, less energy use often equals money saved on utilities.)

What is a passive house? According to architect and BarlisWedlick founder Alan Barlis, it’s a home that meetsa strict set of energy qualificationsthat primarily deal not with solar panels or compost bins but a space’s airflow. Think about how leaving the door open in the summer lets out all the cool air your AC worked hard to crank out—that inefficient leak is exactly what these criteria are trying to combat. There’s a few ways to seal your house, so we asked one of the firm’s architects, Andrew Lefkowitz, and Barlis for their guidance on how to achieve ultimate energy efficiency.

Proper insulation is honestly the gift that keeps on giving: it not only helps soundproof your spaces, it helps the heating and cooling work more efficiently. For this standard timber-frame house, BarlisWedlick ended up adding an extra layer to the home’s exterior plus an air barrier (which can be anything from drywall to plywood) to create what Barlis calls an airtight seal. The team added more insulation, including an air barrier, for a full seal. (Plus the basement got waterproofed.)

The crew worked from the inside and out, digging up the foundation to place the sealants just right before installing brand-new siding.

If you live in an older home, you know the windows can be seriously drafty. (The wood frame can shrink and the caulking may degrade.) Luckily the Westchester house’s windows were fine, but if the exterior was going to change, the seal would still need a tweak to accommodate the extra insulation. The firm increased the size of the openings to get at the joints, then installed new windows to fit.

The homeowners insisted on keeping their three fireplaces and Dutch oven in working order. (We get it—instant charm!) But a fireplace can act like a gaping hole, letting air up and out, plus letting extra dust and debris sneak in. Barlis and Lefkowitz recommend an airtight door on the front or a proper chimney flap that opens and closes, so you get your crackling fires and a lower energy bill.

Kate McGregor covers everything related to the home, from design inspiration to IKEA hacks. She has been the market assistant at ELLE Decor where she focused on curating product for the print magazine’s market pages.

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