The Breezeway House, located in Millcreek Township (near Salt Lake City), has been certified by the Passive House Institute of the United States as a Certified Passive House. It is the first building in the western U.S. to earn the designation.

A Certified Passive House is constructed using some of the world's strictest energy efficiency standards and a very rigorous design methodology which includes windows without thermal bridges, passive solar heat, air-tight construction, energy-recovery mechanical ventilation, and proper solar shading to prevent over-heating.

“We need to start relying on smart design and low-energy passive solutions,” said architect Dave Brach. His firm Brach Design Architecture designed the house, which was constructed last May and completed in December.

The Breezeway House is a three-bedroom, 2.5 bath home with about 2,800 finished sq. ft. of living space and a stone patio with a built-in steel and canvas shading frame for outdoor dining. The home also features a 2.2 kilowatt solar array and hot water solar panels.