Cleveland's SmartHome is open to the public

CLEVELAND - When you walk into this brand new house on Wade Oval at University Circle you have to look beyond its decor to see what it's really all about.

The PNC SmartHome is the nation's first passive house.  This means the new house is built in such a way that the owner doesn't have to do much to maintain it according to architect Chuck Miller.

The home is designed so that the windows absorb the heat in the wintertime. They will also eventually have sunscreens over the top of the windows for the summer so there won't be much heat gain.  It comes without a furnace, but runs on an air source heat pump that will keep the house comfortable and efficient. The home was constructed using a super insulated 12-inch thick wall, structural insulated panels and energy efficient triple pane windows.

The house is expected to use 90 percent less energy than a conventional two story house with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a basemen and will eventually be permanently placed on Wade Park Avenue and put up for sale in October for around $300,000.