With some of the highest rates in the country, Boston architect designing energy efficient homes

As more of us rely on AI, the technology is going to rely even more on our power grid.

A local architect team is working to try and offset the load onto the system by designing sustainable buildings and homes to save on rising energy costs.

There’s a reason these homes in West Roxbury look a little different than your average cape or colonial. That’s because these are passive homes, designed by RODE Architects in Boston.

“It really focuses on the basics of insulation and air sealing and solid building practices so that when you turn on the systems, they demand very little energy to use,” said Kevin Deabler, Principal of RODE Architects.

Kevin Deabler is the Principal of Rode Architects, a firm that designs all kinds of energy efficient structures, from single family homes to industrial and commercial buildings all with the goal of reducing demand on the grid, especially with the rise of AI.

“We’re all using AI, and we need it, we’re going to need it,” said Deabler.

“We’re reliant on it. But we’re just trying to sort of make sure that the building industry and the way that we design buildings is set up for the future.”

This spring, RODE’s first passive home community is set to break ground in Stoughton and these 49 new affordable housing units for elderly residents in Allston.

“There’s a lot of thermal comfort benefits, air cleanliness benefits for our residents,” said Mara Tu, the Allston Brighton CDC Real Estate Project Manager.

“Fresh air ventilation and a lot of moisture control, like all of these things that make a happy and healthy home for people.

Mara Tu is a real estate project manager with the Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation. The non-profit helps find and create affordable homes.

“And then while we’re doing that, we might as well also really heighten our standards and make sure that they’re also ready for the future, climate resilient and also using as little energy as possible,” said Tu.

Using less energy can have a big impact on people’s wallets as the northeast has some of the highest electricity rates.

Based on the latest data from the US Energy Information Administration, Massachusetts is the fourth most expensive, 29.5 cents per kilowatt hour, which is almost 75% higher than the national average.

“There are ways to sort of really reduce the energy demand so that the minute you put solar panels on these homes, you start generating more energy than you can use in your home,” said Deabler.

On one of these homes in West Roxbury, Deabler said the homeowner reported his home generated $800 in credit on a monthly basis.

He says with Massachusetts starting to raise the standards on energy codes, he hopes other builders will implement energy efficient practices to ensure operating costs can be as low as possible.

“In the future we always have to worry about how you know we heat and cool our homes,” said Deabler.

The passive homes on average, Deabler says, are about 15% more expensive than a single-family home. And Tu says her non-profit has helped house over a thousand residents in affordable housing, but says there are a couple hundred people on the waitlist, some waiting up to five years.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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