Jung Haus Receives “Best Energy-Smart Home” Award
The Jung Haus, designed by GO Logic, has been awarded Fine Homebuilding’s 2014 Houses Award for the Best Energy-Smart Home. Each year, Fine Homebuilding presents Houses Awards to a select few residencies that balance cost, energy efficiency, and style. Partnering with local builders EnergyWise Homes, GO Logic created a highly insulated, air-sealed building shell with integrated heat-recovery ventilation systems and triple-glazed windows. We ran different building shell scenarios through Passive House energy-modeling software to perform a cost-benefit analysis of energy consumption and construction. From there, we determined which details of the Jung Haus would have the most impact on energy usage and long-term energy savings while keeping within the owners’ budget. The Jung Haus was awarded Passive House certification—the first home in Michigan to be so certified—in September 2013. Cost-effective and energy-efficient, check. What about style? Set on the crest of a small hill in rural Holly, Michigan, the town’s cold climate and local farmhouse aesthetic informed design decisions GO Logic made with owners Maura and Kurt Jung, who were looking for a high-performance home. The 2,440 square foot, three-bedroom home features a simple gable roof and a sweeping front porch with an adjusted roof pitch for optimal solar gain—ways to maximize the house’s energy-efficiency while keeping its design complementary to and blending with the more traditional homes nearby. Take a video tour of the Jung Haus, compliments of Fine Homebuilding: