Beyond The Badge: Building Passive Houses That Just Work

July 22, 2025

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Passive House: Costly and Out of Reach?

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The impression of passive house building, for those that are aware of its existence, is that it is too expensive for the average homeowner. It is an impression that was solidified in a very popular article published by the Washington Post in February of 2024, entitled, Why industry is blocking the push for more energy efficient homes, and written by Post reporter Anna Phillips. Before commenting was closed the article attracted over 500 passionate responses, arguing the questionable points put forward by the traditional home builders.  

Influencers from the passive house and high-performance building communities weighed in online, but were too late to the party and their comments went largely unheard. This quote from the article really stuck with readers:

“All that energy code was going to do in my price range is make it to where the working man and woman would not be able to buy a home,” Jackson said. He sells homes in the $250,000 range and estimated the changes would have increased his costs by more than $20,000 - a figure that comes from a survey of North Carolina builders conducted by the state branch of the National Association of Home Builders, the housing industry’s largest lobbying group.

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If someone were to analyze this paragraph, it might leave a bad taste in their mouth because much of it is untrue. It was stated to create emotion (in this case, fear) in the minds of the people receiving the message. That explains the article’s fiery comment section response. It doesn’t surprise David Schleicher, Managing Director of Kala Performance Homes — which is based in Kansas City, MO -- an area Schleicher says is somewhat vulnerable to this type of messaging.

Kala is working hard to dispel those fears with its customer base, because while it does build passive designed/inspired energy efficient homes, Kala doesn’t advertise them that way.  

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Reframing "Passive House" for the Everyday Consumer

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“The terms passive, or energy efficiency don’t get used much in this part of the country,” says Schleicher. “In fact, they repel many buyers, and I get it. Most homeowners are trying to toe the line financially and when we bring up those terms, all they see are dollar signs emptying from their bank accounts. Also, a large population of buyers want bling and a ton of square footage, even if the ‘bling’ is just decorative and lacking any real purpose. The result is homes that are cold and drafty in the winter and hot and muggy in the summertime because of excess size and a lack of a quality building envelope.”

It matters to Schleicher, so much so that he practices what he preaches by living in a home designed with passive house principles, filled with high performance windows. During an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s lead technology columnist, Christopher Mims, Schleicher explained his design philosophy as it pertains to windows.

“With the right glass in my house, my heat won’t even be running on a winter day, as long as the sun is shining and it’s coming in the window,” he says. “It is crazy, I will be in shorts and a T-shirt and it’s 20 degrees outside. Meanwhile, my neighbors are paying out the nose in heating and cooling bills.”

But he doesn’t pitch passive. Instead, David uses terms like Durability, Health, and Comfort. According to him, “these are all tightly connected concepts that yield a sense of personal security from extreme weather and ever-increasing power outages, peace of mind from knowing your home is resilient and won’t require expensive maintenance over time, and relaxation that is a result of a uniquely quiet and solid home.  

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A Common-Sense Approach That Works, and How Alpen Plays a Role

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The use of those terms during the selling process makes perfect sense, regardless of location. We all want our homes to display the characteristics of durability and security, both of which help us protect our homes, our families and in some cases our neighbors who live in those large houses outfitted with lots of bling. We also agree that the term passive house comes with its own connotations. At Alpen we are like Kala in that we believe in the power of passive house design. Those are the builds where Alpen’s windows show themselves in the most accurate light - extremely energy efficient windows, made right here in the USA.

Want to see how it all comes together? This video below offers a glimpse into life inside a Kala-built home featuring Alpen windows. According to the homeowners, the windows didn’t just make their house more comfortable… they may have actually saved their marriage.

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