A company that makes $600,000 prefab smart homes got so popular in 2020 it had to turn away customers — see inside its 3 new homes.

Plant Prefab, a prefab home maker that saw massive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, has launched the Passive House LivingHomes, a line of three environmentally friendly homes for families.

There’s currently a wide range of prefabricated units available on the market, from bulletproof concrete tiny homes to smart homes with integrated artificial intelligence programs. Now, Plant Prefab is adding on new products to the growing list: three prefab homes that follow strict eco-friendly protocols.

In general, prefab homes have often been considered the solution for creating affordable and sustainable housing units, and the space has recently seen an increasing amount of interest from the public.

“Our focus is building homes that are as sustainable and healthy as possible,” Steve Glenn, Plant Prefab’s founder and CEO, told Insider in an interview. “We’ve had more LEED Platinum homes certified than almost any other design firm, way more than most any other prefabricator.”

What even is a “passive home”?

California-based Plant Prefab partnered with Pennsylvania-based Richard Pedranti Architect for the Passive House LivingHomes project. According to Glenn, the Passive House certification has stricter energy standards than any LEED certifications.

Plant Prefab tries to “wed profit and purpose,” and has always been interested in building to the passive house standard, Glenn told Insider.

Meeting these standards involves optimizing a unit to be energy efficient. To be certified by the Passive House Institute US and Passive House International, the homes need to use 80% less power for heating and cooling than a typical building and are meant to be “healthier and more comfortable” to occupy, according to Plant Prefab.

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