VOA慢速英语:'Passive' Homes Save Energy, Money

Heating and cooling equipment are the biggest users of energy in American homes. And homes are responsible for about one fourth of the nation’s total energy use. But there are surprisingly simple ways to deeply cut energy use, its effect on the environment and its cost.
加热和制冷设备是美国家庭中的最大的能源用户，而家庭约占用了全国能源使用总量的四分之一。但也有一些令人惊讶的简单方法，可以深度减少能源使用，降低其对环境的影响和成本。

David Peabody and his team at Peabody Architects design passive homes. He says the design of a passive house aims to reduce energy demand to its lowest possible level. Passive houses use no solar, geothermal or wind energy equipment. But they are extremely energy efficient.
David Peabody和他的Peabody建筑师团队设计被动式住宅。他说，被动式住宅旨在将能源需求求降低到尽可能低的水平。被动式住宅不使用太阳能、地热能或风能设备。但它们都非常高效节能。

Mr. Peabody says passive houses cut heating and cooling costs by about ninety percent. But what sets his design apart from other "green homes" is that it looks like any other home.
Peabody先生称被动式住宅可以削减约90%的加热和制冷成本。但是，让他的设计与其它“绿色家园”相区分的是，它看起来和任何其它房屋一样。

DAVID PEABODY: "That is the beauty of the passive house approach is that you don't have to build in a particular way with any particular materials or to any particular style.  That's why in our case we decided to try to do something to prove that point to make something that was very traditionally American."
DAVID PEABODY：“那就是被动式住宅的美妙之处，你无需通过任何特定材料或任何特定风格以一种特殊方式来建造它。这就是为什么在我们的案例中，我们决定尝试做一些事情来证明这一点，使一些东西成为非常传统美国式。”

Peabody Architects says it is building the first passive home in the Washington, DC, area. But it will not be the last. In Arlington, Virginia, Roger Lin and his brother Eric are also building one. Roger Lin of Southern Exposure Homes explains that windows are sealed against leaks and have three layers of glass.
Peabody Architects称，它是华盛顿特区正在建造第一栋被动式住宅。但它不会是最后一栋。在弗吉尼亚州的阿灵顿市，Roger Lin和他的弟弟Eric也正在建造这样一栋住宅。Southern Exposure Homes的Roger Lin解释说，窗户是密封的，有三层玻璃来防止泄露。

ROGER LIN: "And these are triple-paned."
ROGER LIN：“而这些都是三层的。”

The windows are airtight. On a cold winter day, the temperature inside the unfinished home is a comfortable twelve degrees, or fifty degrees Fahrenheit.
窗户是密闭的。在一个寒冷的冬天，这栋未完成的住宅里的温度是舒适的12摄氏度，或华氏五十度。

ROGER LIN: "In here it's above fifty actually. It’s above fifty right now."
ROGER LIN：“在这里，它实际上高于华氏50度。”

David Peabody says you can find passive homes all over the world.
David Peabody称，你可以在世界各地找到被动式住宅。

DAVID PEABODY: "North Africa, for example, has a passive house community designing for very hot dry climates and that's a whole other area of exploration for passive house."
DAVID PEABODY：“例如北非，有一个设计用于非常炎热干燥气候的被动式住宅社区。这是被动式住宅在其它地区的全新探索。”

The first passive design was an apartment building in Darmstadt, Germany. Two physicists helped develop it about twenty years ago.
第一个被动式设计是德国达姆施塔特的一栋公寓楼，两位物理学家在大约二十年前帮忙设计的。

Passive houses use some specialized materials. These include precast concrete panels and insulation. They also need to have special air treatment systems. Supporters say they cost only about five or eight percent more than traditional homes. But they use ten percent of the energy for heating and cooling.
被动式住宅使用一些专门的材料。这些东西包括混凝土预制板和绝缘材料。他们还需要有特殊的空气处理系统。支持者称，其成本只比传统住宅多出5%-8%。但用于加热和制冷的能源只有传统住宅的10%。

But Passive House Institute US says even greater savings can be reached with additions like solar water heating systems. They might call that an active passive house.
但是美国被动式住宅研究所称，使用太阳能热水系统等作为补充可以实现更大的节约。他们可能称之为积极的被动式住宅。