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heat and shade, residents can heat and cool their home day to day, year round without much help from mechanical equipment like heat pumps. And, while saving money on a home, it is helping your health long term. Because of that 9ght weather and air barrier, these homes keep you clear of mold and rot that can develop when humidity from air leakage condenses in your wall cavity. Finally, other Vola9le Organic Compounds (VOCs) in the home, as well as exhaust from the kitchen and bathrooms, exit your living space via the energy recovery ven9lator, introduc- ing a constant stream of fresh air into the home balanced by extrac9ng those harmful pollutants in the exhaust air." These principles are the makeup of passive building under PHIUS (Passive House Ins9- tute US), a non-profit 501(c)(3) that cer9fies building professionals and passive house projects in North America. Bosley is among only a few PHIUS cer9fied builders in the lower Hudson Valley, a role he feels is invalu- able in offering insight on Passive House projects. "It's good to have a builder who can talk about your home as a system, as a gen- eral prac99oner would," he says. Instead of building the home up from scratch, they took an old home and retrofit- ted it, or brought it up to current Passive House standards. The founda9on and first floor walls were all that was needed to turn the building into a healthier, resilient home. "It's easier to build new, but it's a huge car- bon footprint to build a new house. The greenest thing you can do is retrofit an old house," says Bosley. "But it's expensive, and it's not fancy, people aren't seeing what's in- side your walls as it's built." No, a Passive House doesn't have the gli:ery ap- peal . "But there's tangible value in a home," says Bosley. "Your home is one of your single biggest invest- ments in your life." When considering adop9ng Passive House features, it's important to note that home owners don't have to go all in. Consider thinking care- fully about the many aspects — in- cluding saving on energy costs, providing cleaner air, and lower maintenance costs — and which best suit your family or home. Before star9ng Bozco, Eric was work- ing with his uncles in the same indus- try. Before Passive Houses picked up any trac9on, his uncles prided them- selves on 9me-tested home building methods, like those porches that bring so much more than a relaxing spot. "It's not an all or nothing thing," says Bosley. "Take whatever energy effi- ciency ini9a9ves you can, for your home and your family." Eric Bosley | 914-419-5960 Bozco Construc9on, Inc. www.bozcoconstruc9on.com The greenest thing you can do is retrofit an old house," says Bosley 2024 | HOOK MAGAZINE 31

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