Economics Report - 'Passive' Homes Save Energy, Money
经济报道 - 大幅节约能源和费用的被动式住宅
This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语经济报道。
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.
采暖和制冷设备是美国家庭的能源大户，家庭占到了美国全国能源使用量的1/4左右。但也有一些令人惊讶的简单途径可以深度减少能源使用，降低其对环境的影响和由此产生的费用。
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.
大卫·皮博迪（David Peabody）和他的皮博迪建筑师团队设计被动式住宅。他表示，被动式住宅的目标是将其能源需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.
皮博迪先生表示被动式住宅可以削减90%左右的采暖和制冷成本。让他的设计与其它“绿色住宅”相区分的是，它看起来和任何其它住宅别无不同。
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."
皮博迪：“这是被动式住宅的美妙之处，你无需通过任何特殊材料或任何特殊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点，使一些东西成为非常传统的美国人的东西。”
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.
皮博迪建筑师公司表示，它们在华盛顿特区正建造第一栋被动式住宅。但它不会是最后一栋。在弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿市，罗杰·林恩和他的弟弟埃里克也正在建造这样一栋住宅。Southern Exposure Homes（公司名）的林恩解释说，那个窗户是密封的，有三层玻璃。
ROGER LIN: "And these are triple-paned."
林恩：“这是三层叠加的。”
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，即华氏五十度。
ROGER LIN: "In here it's above fifty actually. It’s above fifty right now."
林恩：“这里现在实际上高于华氏50度。”
David Peabody says you can find passive homes all over the world.
皮博迪表示，你可以在全球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."
皮博迪：“就像北非有一个设计用于非常干燥气候的被动式住宅区。这是被动式住宅在其它方面的全新探索。”
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，这是两位物理学家在大约二十年前帮助设计的。
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用材料，其中包括混凝土预制板和隔热材料。它们还需要有特殊空气处理系统。支持者称，其成本只比传统住宅多出5%-8%。但用于采暖和制冷的能源只有传统住宅的10%。
The designs are passive because they do not use geothermal, sun or wind energy for power. 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.
但美国被动式住宅研究所说，使用太阳能热水系统等作为补充可以实现更大节约。他们可能称其为积极被动式住宅。
And that’s the VOA Special English Economics Report. Find links about passive homes at voanews.cn. I’m June Simms.
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Contributing: Rebecca Ward. |