Demand for Super Energy-Efficient Homebuilders Is Rising

When Maine builder Jesper Kruse began marketing a type of high-efficiency home called a passive house a dozen years ago, the dwellings appealed mainly to a small cohort of committed environmentalists.

It’s a niche no more. Today, demand for passive houses is rising sharply as homeowners contend with climate-driven extreme weather and governments move to decarbonize buildings, which account for 13% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions.

Jesper Kruse, founder of Maine Passive House, at his home in Greenwood, Maine. The home was originally built in 2000, but he later spent several years retrofitting it.

Photographer: Greta Rybus for Bloomberg Green

Passive building involves a set of design principles and a certification standard for structures that achieve extreme energy efficiency through construction techniques that seal them in an airtight envelope, reducing ...