Anyone have a 'Super Insulated' house in the Colorado Mtns?

[Arrby]

I want to just add as a comment that it is great to run across someone trying to build responsibly and with an eye toward likely future energy constraints, or at least costs. There is a lot of property up here in the high country that may simply become uninhabitable as energy costs continue to rise.

[gn3]

Insulation and leak-sealing is great, up to a certain point. At some point you do want the home to ventilate and allow in fresh air. I think with modern building practices (when building for efficiency), we're getting to the point where we're as sealed-up as we'd want to be. Or at least, as I'd want to be; I do not want to live in a hermetically sealed chamber. There's a ceiling on how energy efficient maintaining a heated home can be while providing adequate ventilation.

Obviously, investing in extra insulation and sealing is worthwhile. But some seemingly ignored, but huge factors in determining your energy consumption are where you choose to live, how big the home is, and how much of the home you're heating at any time. The choice to live in a smaller abode, at a lower elevation, or to utilize efficient space heating can make a much greater difference in terms of energy conservation.

[dlvonde]

monolithic domes are another energy efficient route. they also have the added benefit of being hurricane/tornado/termite proof. They have an airtight shell, plenty of insulation, and a huge thermal mass provided by seamless concrete shell.

Here's one of the more exotic ones:
Life Above the Treetops at Cloud Hidden | Monolithic