High Performance Design · Southwest Missouri
What is a Passive House?
A Straight Answer For Anyone Building in Missouri.
The Short Answer
A Home
Engineered to Perform
The Way Your Life
Actually Works.
Most homes are designed to pass code. This one is designed to pass the test of living in it for thirty years.
If you have started researching how to build a home that stays comfortable, costs less to run, and still looks like something you are proud to come home to, you have probably run into the term "Passive House." You may have watched a Matt Risinger video, read a thread on Green Building Advisor, or heard a builder mention it and brush past it.
This page is the plain-English version. No jargon you have to decode. Just what it is, what it costs, and what it actually feels like to live in one here in the Ozarks.
LESS ENERGY THAN
CODE-BUILT HOMES
40-60%
4A
OUR CLIMATE ZONE
OZARKS | SOUTHWEST MISSOURI
1
PHIUS-CERTIFIED FIRMS
IN SOUTHWEST MISSOURI
Your Questions, Answered
A Passive House is a home engineered to use far less energy than a standard home by getting the building itself right, instead of relying on oversized mechanical systems to cover for a leaky shell. In practical terms, that means a home that stays an even temperature room to room, stays quiet, and uses roughly 40 to 60 percent less energy than a code-built house.
The key idea is that the building does the work. A standard home loses heat through gaps, thin walls, and weak windows, then fights to recover it with a furnace and air conditioner running hard. A Passive House is built so tight and so well insulated that it barely loses the comfort in the first place. The mechanical systems get to be small, because there is very little for them to fix.
What is a Passive House?
“The building does the work. The mechanical system gets to be small, because there is very little for it to fix.”
It is not a style. It is not a look. It is a performance standard. You can build a Passive House that reads modern, traditional, or anything in between.
What is the difference between Passive House and PHIUS?
PHIUS is the version of the Passive House standard built for North American climates, and it is the one that makes sense in Missouri. "Passive House" is the broad concept. PHIUS (Passive House Institute U.S.) takes that concept and sets specific performance targets tuned to your actual climate zone, rather than applying one global number to every location on earth.
That distinction matters more than it sounds. A standard designed for a mild European climate does not translate cleanly to an Ozarks summer that pushes 100 degrees and humidity to match, followed by a hard winter. PHIUS sets the targets for what Springfield actually throws at a building. Springfield sits in Climate Zone 4A, a mixed-humid zone, and the right design for it looks different than the right design for Minnesota or Arizona.
Burkholder Architecture is the only PHIUS-certified firm in Southwest Missouri. That is not the reason to hire us. It is the reason we can design to the real conditions of your site instead of guessing.
What does a high-performance home actually feel like to live in?
It feels still. That is the word most people reach for first. No drafts when you sit by a window in January. No room that runs hot while another runs cold. No roar of an HVAC system cycling on to catch up.
Here is what that looks like in daily life:
EVEN TEMPERATURES
No rooms that run hot while another runs cold.
Upstairs and down. January and July, the house holds.
FRESH, FILTERED AIR
An ERV delivers a continuous supply of clean air. For anyone with allergies or asthma, this is not a luxury. It is how everyone stays well.
NEAR-SILENT INTERIORS
A tight, insulated envelope keeps the road, the weather, and the neighbor's lawn mower outside where they belong.
LOW BILLS THAT STAY LOW
The home is not bleeding energy month after month. Lower utilities are built into the wall assembly, not dependent on equipment or behavior.
A standard home announces the weather. A high-performance home keeps it out.
How It Works
Four Principles, No shortcuts.
Each one targets a specific place where a standard home loses comfort, energy, or durability. Together, they let us right-size the mechanical systems and build a house that performs for decades without being asked.
01
Thermal Control
A continuous layer of insulation wraps the entire enclosure, and we design out the thermal bridges where heat would otherwise shortcut through the structure and create cold corners. The benefit: even temperatures, no cold corners, and far less work for your heating and cooling.
02
Air Control
We air-seal the enclosure tight, verified with a blower-door test, then add balanced ventilation that recovers heat and moisture while continuously swapping stale air for fresh, filtered air. The benefit: a durable shell, lower bills, and clean air in every room.
High-performance glazing is sized and oriented to the sun, with shading and daylighting strategies that welcome the sun's warmth in winter and block overheating in summer. The benefit: comfort right next to the glass in any season, and natural light without the energy penalty.
03
Radiation Control
04
Moisture Control
The enclosure is detailed for proper vapor and moisture control, and the mechanical systems are selected and commissioned to hold healthy humidity levels inside. The benefit: no hidden moisture problems, no mold, and a structure built to last. This one matters most in a humid Ozarks summer.
Put together, these let us right-size your mechanical systems. A smaller, simpler HVAC system that runs gently and lasts longer, because it is not being asked to compensate for a building that fights it.
The Benefits of
Passive Buildings
Beyond benefits, the reduced energy demand of Passive House structures opens the door to easy integration with solar power, paving the way for net-zero or even net-positive buildings. Join us in embracing Passive Buildings, where sustainability meets superior living and working spaces. Learn more at: PHIUS - Zero is the goal. PHIUS is the means.
Financial Benefits
Passive buildings deliver substantial energy and cost savings, lower maintenance expenses, and feature climate-resilient, durable construction, offering a financially efficient and environmentally responsible solution.
Environmental Benefits
Passive buildings emerge as eco-friendly beacons, championing reduced carbon emissions and climate resilience. Their focus on embodied carbon reduction reflects a commitment to environmentally conscious construction practices, making them a sustainable choice with lasting impact.
Health & Comfort Benefits
Transform your living or working spaces into havens of well-being by incorporating advanced ventilation systems that ensure enhanced air quality and unparalleled comfort. Revel in the abundance of natural lighting and relish the tranquility of quieter acoustic conditions.
Investment
Does it cost more to build a
Passive House in Missouri?
THE HONEST ANSWER
There is a modest premium up front, and it pays you back for as long as you own the home. A high-performance home typically costs a bit more to design and build than a code-minimum house, mostly in the envelope and the windows. What you get in return is decades of lower energy bills, a quieter and healthier home, and a structure that ages well instead of falling apart at the seams.
The way we keep that premium in check is by treating your budget as a design constraint from day one, not a surprise at the end. We run cost estimates at key milestones so your vision and your budget move together. The goal is not the cheapest home. It is the home that costs you the least to own over thirty years.
THE BETTER FRAMING
The right architect does not add cost. The right architect prevents the expensive mistakes that a cheaper path almost guarantees.
Design it right the first time. The home pays you back every month for the rest of your life in it.
What about tax credits and rebates?
Incentives
The big federal tax credits for energy-efficient homes are ending in 2026, so they should not be the reason you build this way. The federal 45L New Energy Efficient Home Credit was eliminated by 2025 legislation and no longer applies to homes completed after June 30, 2026. Given that a custom home takes 18 to 24 months from design to move-in, a project starting today will not qualify. The residential credit for solar, battery storage, and geothermal has already expired.
We are telling you this plainly because the honest case for building high-performance was never the rebate. It is the thirty years of lower bills, the comfort, and the durability. Those do not expire. Some local utility programs through City Utilities of Springfield and, in the areas they serve, Ameren Missouri, may still offer equipment rebates — and we will help you understand what is currently available for your specific project.
Financial Incentives
Green Tax Incentive Compendium: Polsinelli Green Tax Incentive Compendium (August 2022) - Refer to page 167 for Missouri.
Energy Star Rebate Finder: Explore special offers and rebates from ENERGY STAR Partners on the EPA ENERGY STAR website.
Rewiring America: Calculate potential savings with the Inflation Reduction Act on the Rewiring America website.
Missouri Financial Assistance Opportunity: Learn about energy financial assistance opportunities on the Missouri Department of Natural Resources website.
Missouri Saves: Access financial resources and information on the Missouri Saves website.
Plus more rebates available from product manufacturers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Uncover the secrets of energy efficiency, climate resilience, and the sustainable allure that makes every question a gateway to understanding the future of eco-conscious living.
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You can absolutely improve an existing home, and we offer a Performance Audit to figure out how far it can go. New construction gives us the most control, because we are drawing the envelope from scratch. But plenty of existing homes have real room to improve, and the audit tells you exactly where your home is losing energy and comfort, and which fixes are worth doing.
Some homes are candidates for a deep, high-performance retrofit. Others just need the right handful of targeted improvements. The audit is how you find out which one you have before you spend a dollar.
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Yes, and the Ozarks climate is exactly the case where it pays off most. Our summers are hot and humid, and our winters get genuinely cold. That swing is hard on a building and hard on your utility bills. A home designed for Climate Zone 4A handles both ends of the year without strain: it keeps humidity in check in August and holds warmth in January, all while the mechanical systems sip energy instead of gulping it.
The harder your climate works against a house, the more a well-built envelope is worth. Ours works plenty hard.
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Start with a conversation. Tell us about your site, your family, and the life you want the home to support. We will tell you honestly whether a high-performance approach fits your goals and your budget, and what the path looks like from here.
Ready to build
the right way?
Tell us about your site, your family, and the home
you have in mind.
We will show you what is possible.