These residents are building energy-efficient homes that retain heat

Passive housing projects are popping up across the state of Maine. These air-tight homes are well-insulated to maintain comfortable internal temperatures year-round, without the need for a furnace. Passive homes are designed to use as little energy as possible.Christi Hissong owns a proper modern home construction company and is the owner of a passive home going up in Kennebunk. She said although passive home building can cost more upfront, it is offset by low monthly energy costs. During the cold snap with wind chills in the negative 30s, Hissong said her home maintained an internal temperature of 46 degrees even with the home being incomplete and unheated. "You are minimizing the demand of energy that you're placing not only on your own pocket, but on society as a whole," she said.The Portland Housing Authority is working with Zachau Construction and Utile to redevelop an area of Front Street into 100 affordable passive housing units. Jay Waterman, Director of Real Estate Development for the Portland Housing Authority, said the build is a 3% increased cost upfront compared to a non-passive housing build. Waterman said overall operating costs are reduced drastically, adding, "Heating costs are 80-90% less than a typical code building."Watch the video above to learn more about this story.