Proud homeowner shares inside look at incredibly efficient house that supplies all its own energy: 'A personal triumph'

Low energy, but in a good way: Fayetteville's super-efficient 'passive house' is the first to be certified in Arkansas

Wild birds chirp inside a dense grove of magnolia trees shading a new home near downtown Fayetteville. The pale gray two-story Prairie-style single-family residence, appropriately named Magnolia House, appears conventional — until you step inside. The air quality is unusually fresh, the interior virtually soundproof.

Proud homeowner shares inside look at incredibly efficient house that supplies all its own energy: 'A personal triumph'

Certified passive house consultant Steven Rhodes put his money where his mouth is by getting his certification while working on his own passive house in Columbus, Ohio, Columbus Monthly reported. It started in 2011, when Rhodes first learned about energy efficiency from the book Sustainable Energy — Without the Hot Air by David J. C. MacKay. In 2018, when he started planning his own home based on those principles, he heard about Phius, originall…