Brokers and Associates

BROKERS
Randy Thunfors Sheila Thunfors Suzanne Crerar

BROKER ASSOCIATES
Nikki Carchedi Martha Piper Lori Rose Eileen Taft Nancy Cuddihy

ASSOCIATES
Scott Sawyer Kelley Vickery Mandy Victor Louise Faggioni Bill Harrington Elisha Poirier

Friday, January 18, 2013


Our Chatham based associate Nancy Cuddihy has been working with Columbia County Habitat for Humanity to create new housing in Hudson and is built with passive energy design and engineering. That's Nancy on the right, on the site and totally on the ball!




2012-13 Build of Energy-Saving Columbia Passive Townhouses Underway

The architect’s rendering of the
Columbia Passive Townhouses.Rendering
Columbia County Habitat for Humanity (CCHfH) has started work on two townhouses that will bring energy efficiency to unprecedented levels in affordable housing.  Designed by ground-breaking green architect Dennis Wedlick Architect LLC (DWA), the Columbia Passive Townhouses at 244-246 Columbia Street in Hudson will be the first Habitat townhouses in New York to be constructed using passive energy design and engineering.  This process cuts energy consumption by 90%.
Wedlick explained the concept of behind passive designs:  “Generally speaking, a Passive House is a high performance residence that is able to maintain a constant comfortable indoor temperature, year-round, with little need for heating or air-conditioning.  It is able to do so because of carefully calibrated construction details that include advanced wall framing and state-of-the-art insulation techniques. This Passive House concept represents today’s highest standards for energy efficiency. While the Passive House concept is well established in several European countries, few buildings have been able to achieve these standards in the United States. The Columbia Passive Townhouses will be one of a handful of buildings in the nation to do so.”

CCHfH President Janis Smythe said, “The Board is delighted to be the first Habitat in New York State to invest in passive building.  Habitat is about affordable home ownership for families, not just in the initial cost but in long-term financial sustainability as well.” Compared to conventional buildings, Passive House buildings have been known to use 90% less energy for heating and cooling.
In 2011, DWA designed and the Bill Stratton Building Company constructed the first certified Passive House in New York State in nearby Claverack that continues to receive national attention. The remarkable energy conservation that has been achieved in this structure–and will be achieved in the Columbia Passive Townhouses–is credited to the home’s ability to maximize the warmth of the sun, natural lighting and internal air flow. Air quality in Passive Houses is also significantly higher than in conventionally built or renovated homes because of the Energy Recovery Ventilating (ERV) systems that complete the Passive House designs. The ERV systems provide for fresh air 24 hours a day with virtually no heat loss or heat gain.

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