Contractor Matt Berges loves it when he hears that home energy prices are going up. Nope, he doesn't own stock in utilities -- he just knows that ever-rising heating and cooling costs will jolt the market for making homes more energy-efficient.

Berges earns his living by retrofitting older homes and building new homes to ultra-green standards. He's banking on the fact that rising energy costs will make construction of innovative passive homes like the SmartHome at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History more attractive to consumers.

This winter, Berges has had an opportunity to put some of his green dreams into practice. The owners of an historic home on Devonshire Road in Cleveland Heights tore it down to build a new, passive home that doesn't require a furnace. Although Berges, like many others, was sad to see the old house go, he says in some cases there are no cost-effective ways to make older homes energy-efficient.

"Green retrofits and passive home construction are happening all over the country, and they will make more sense as the housing market begins to come back," he says. "We're kind of pioneers in this area."

Interested in checking out the second Northeast Ohio home to seek passive house certification? You can tour it this Saturday, Jan. 14th at 2 pm. The tour is free, but the group is limited to 40 people and advance registration is required. Berges, the owners and architect will be on hand to discuss the project and answer questions.

For more information or to register for the event, email info@neogreenbuilding.org.

Source: Matt Berges
Writer: Lee Chilcote