Passive-Home Cost & Savings Worksheet

What this worksheet helps you do

The worksheet gives you a simple way to organize costs, assumptions, and trade-offs before you build. It is made for homeowners who want a clearer picture of what a higher-performance home might involve.

You can use it to compare a standard custom home plan with a greener or more passive approach. That may include better insulation, lower window U-factor, improved airtightness measured by ACH, an HRV or ERV, heat pumps, and solar readiness.

It also helps you write down what is still unknown. That matters, because final cost and savings depend on your climate, site, design, labor market, utility rates, and the licensed builder you hire.

What is inside the free download

The worksheet includes space to list your main upgrade choices and note where costs may change. It is not a bid sheet. It is a planning guide you can bring into early builder conversations.

• A side-by-side section for base home vs. green or passive upgrades
• Lines for enclosure items like insulation, air sealing, windows, and doors
• Space for mechanical items like heat pumps, water heating, HRV or ERV, and duct design
• A section for solar-ready, all-electric, and net-zero planning notes
• A place to track assumptions about energy use, maintenance, and replacement timing
• Questions to ask about blower-door testing, target airtightness ACH, and written scope

If you are still learning the basics, see systems and learn for simple explanations of common green building parts.

How to use it with builders

Start by filling out the worksheet with your goals. Keep it simple. Mark which items are must-haves, which are nice-to-haves, and which you are still researching.

Then share it with builders you interview. Ask each builder to confirm in writing what is included, what testing is planned, and what items are allowances or exclusions. This makes it easier to compare proposals fairly.

Use the worksheet to ask clear questions, such as:

1. What wall, roof, and slab insulation levels are included?
2. What window performance is planned, including U-factor and SHGC?
3. Is airtightness being targeted, and will a blower-door test be done?
4. What ventilation system is included, HRV or ERV, and who designs it?

If you want help finding experienced companies to compare, get matched. EverGrain Built is a free matching service. You compare options and choose who to hire.

Why this matters for planning

A passive or greener home can shift money from future energy use into better design, better windows, more insulation, tighter air sealing, and better equipment. But the balance is different for every project.

This worksheet helps you slow down and make those trade-offs visible. It can also help family members talk through priorities like comfort, indoor air quality, durability, all-electric design, and budget.

It does not replace builder pricing, energy modeling, engineering, or local code review. Use it as a starting point, then confirm scope, price, schedule, and responsibilities in writing with a licensed builder. You can also read more about planning on costs and how it works.