Hi. Mike Kernagis here. I’m the program director for PHIUS, and Kat has invited me to do a guest blog. I’ve just returned from Berea College in Berea, Ky. where, I’m happy and proud to report, PHIUS has just completed the first Passive House Builders Training in North America!
Among the many hats I wear here is that of construction manager for Ecological Construction Laboratory, which is now a
We had a terrific group for the first-time-ever PHIUS Builders Training in Berea, Ky.
program of PHIUS. For those that don’t know, this is where we started. E-co lab is a community housing development organization, based in Urbana, IL, and we’ve been building Passive Houses for first-time, low-income home buyers since 2005. (In fact, we have a recently competed project that is available, if you’re interested…and if you qualify…more info here.)
I’ve wanted to develop a program specifically for builders for a long time now, but there’s been just so dang much going on. But several months ago, I started working on it with my pal Dan Whitmore. Dan’s been building in and around Seattle for 25 years, and he built the first passive house in Seattle. Dan’s also a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), so he’s kinda the whole package: he can assure good building science in design, tell you how much energy it’s going to use, and then go ahead and build it for you. Anyway, this program would not have happened without Dan’s hard work and encouragement…so thanks Dan!
While we were developing curriculum, we sent out an in-depth survey to about 25 passive house builder friends of ours across the United States and Canada, soliciting info on their experiences — successes, challenges, economics, code issues, coordinating crews and working with architects, engineers, etc, products, recommendations of specific hands-on techniques/installations (especially airtightness), client relations, marketing. Stuff like that. We also asked them for pictures.
That's Dan Whitmore on the left, during our site visit to H4H's passive house project.
The response was nothing short of overwhelming, as we got A LOT of material from pretty much ALL of them. Thanks a ton to all those folks too. We’ll be sure to give props in the class, and to include appropriate credit for material shared. Those contributions are indispensable in conveying the tangible experience of the North American builder. And if you’re out there building passive house and we haven’t contacted you, please feel free to let us know. We’d love to hear from you.
CPHC Ginger Watkins of Lexington, Ky., has been after us to provide builders training there for quite awhile now. Ginger rocks. She’s the Sustainable Building Specialist for Kentucky Habitat for Humanity, and she coordinated this program for H4H affiliate builders and construction managers from across the state. The class was at capacity, and feedback is running very positive.
The local affiliate is in the middle of their first passive house project, and we were able to take the class there on our last day for a window installation, blower door test and general tour and Q&A. All terrific. It was also greatly gratifying for me that this inaugural class was, like e-co lab, rooted in sheltering and insulating those of limited income from both inclement weather AND volatile heating and cooling costs.
After all of the planning (and talking!), implementation is where the rubber meets the road. I’m excited to see this program lift off, and I think it’ll do a lot to enhance uptake of passive house in the United States (which is what PHIUS has been, is, and will be all about).
We’ll be holding it next at the Urbana Civic Center in Urbana, IL on July 25-28. (Some veteran CPHCs may remember that was the site of the first-ever CPHC way back when.) Classes at other locations around the United States TBA.
The first day of the 4-day program will be an introduction to passive house and will be required for those who have not taken the CPHC training; it’s an optional refresher for those who have. PHIUS will be offering a Builders Certification in conjunction with this program and, like the CPHCs, Certified Builders will have a database on the PHIUS website. Those interested can contact me at the address below.
Next stop: Denver for the American Solar Energy Society World Renewable Energy Forum (http://ases.org/conference/), where we have a whole track of passive house presentations. Also hope to do some legwork for our own conference coming up there in September.
Peace,
Mike
Hey all–Katrin and Mike Kernagis are busy in Kentucky and will report in on the Habitat celebration and builders training down there shortly. For today, here’s a short report on the first ever PHIUS Exam/Refresher Boot Camp.
This year — for the first time — PHIUS has been able to schedule the Certified Passive House Consultant exam on the last afternoon of each training class. Most students have opted to take the computer-based exam at the end of their training, while material is still fresh in mind. But many opt to take the exam later, after they’ve had time to absorb and review the material.
Prudence Ferreira was the drill sergeant for the first Exam Boot Camp.
Those folks, as well as trainees who take but do not pass test on their first attempt, have asked for a refresher exam-prep program. In response, PHIUS offered its first ever Exam Boot Camp Webinar May 1-5.
Prudence Ferreira–Veteran PHIUS instructor, CPHC, and owner of Integral Impact–developed and delivered the webinar curriculum. It started with a review of the basic energy balancing principles, and an intensive look at the formulas and calculations associated with the balancing act. That covered three full hours–plus homework–on the first afternoon.
The second afternoon was devoted to a design exercise, and the remaining 
days were essentially spent working through real-world problems and questions of the ilk that are presented in the exam.
Based on returned surveys, the inaugural class was a hit with the 15 participants. “What I got was exactly what I needed,” was one participant’s succinct summary.
Still, it was the first time around, and there were some lessons learned. In particular, students and instructor agreed that next time around, another hour should be devoted to the design exercise. Based on this and other feedback, we’re looking forward to tweaking the program and offering it again later this year.
To those who participated in the first Boot Camp — thank you! If you’re planning to take the test and are interested in the next Boot Camp — or if you’re a passive house veteran and just want a refresher — check back at the PHIUS site for announcements. Of, if you want to be notified by email when we schedule the next Boot Camp Webinar, sign up here.
Thanks–
Mike Knezovich, PHIUS
From Hannover, Germany to historic Boone Tavern in Kentucky in less than 48 hours.
Well, the best-laid plans….
I began part two of the Hannover report on the way home to Urbana, Ill. — we flew to Chicago O’Hare Sunday night, then drove the 150 miles or so to Urbana. Monday was spent preparing for … Habitat for Humanity of Madison Clark Counties‘ (Kentucky) 20th Anniversary celebration. It’s part of a Habitat Green Summit event and includes a two-day pilot PHIUS builders/trades training program. And, we’ll be celebrating Kentucky’s first passive house project — a Habitat project led by CPHC Ginger Watkins. (Look for more on builders’ trainings later here on the blog.)
Whew, now, back to Hannover. In all, there was nothing dramatic to report. The American contingent seemed to be lower in numbers compared to last year, but no less enthusiastic or proud of their good work.
The workgroup presentations were as usual packed with good information ranging from technical information to reports and practitioners’ example buildings of all types. Some innovative ideas were certainly the highlights, such as an R-50 glass that is not relying on vacuum. (Still in research phase, but exciting nonetheless.)
Two items from the trade show stood out for addressing the last frontiers in problem solving: thermally broken highly insulated curtain wall facades (for example by Sto) and more refinement in compact units as by Stiebel Eltron.
Perhaps the best aspect of this year’s trip to the European conference was intangible: Seeing our longtime European friends like Jens Laustsen and Ludwig Rongen, both presenters at last year’s PHIUS Conference. And there was Manfred Brausem, who provided invaluable help back in 2002 when I first built the Smith House. He also helped me in 2005 when I presented the experience of the Smith House at the 8th International conference in Krems, Austria. I remain proud that it was first ever work group that was dealing with the international development of passive house and and the first ever track at that conference held in English!
They have been and remain PHIUS supporters, and send their regards to the U.S. community.
That’s it for now … time to explore Berea College in Berea, Kentucky. It’s a long way from Hannover, but it has its own rich, groundbreaking history.
Kat
That's Hannover from above.
Mike Kernagis and I are in Germany for the 16th annual European Passivhaus Conference. This is the second time that we’ve made conference here in Hannover, the first being in 2006. It’s great for me, because I grew up just outside of town in small Großburgwedel, where my family still lives. It’s terrific to be here at conference and to see so many of the dear friends we’ve made. It’s also intensely gratifying to receive so much support for PHIUS, from long-time Passivhausers as well as from newer advocates, for both the work we have done and for our current initiatives.
Here at the end of the first of the two-day program, I’ve found the plenary presentation by the very famous physicist Ernst Ulrich von Weizsacher to be the most interesting. Ernst wrote the terrific Factor Five {subtitle: “Transforming the Global Economy through 80% Improvements in Resource Productivity”) and he talked about how profitable green technologies can break the impasse at climate talks. Pretty cool.
The exhibition hall is first-rate and, though most exhibitors are familiar to those here, Europe is still head-and shoulders above the United States in terms of developing (and selling) components and products for advanced building design and construction. But I think we are making headway at home as well.
Looking forward to Saturday’s sessions with presenters sharing and developing PH know-how. More later.
Now, it’s Spargeltime!
I’m happy — and proud — to announce we will offer our nine-day Certified Passive House
Consultant (CPHC) training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology! Phase I runs May 29-June 2, Phase II runs June 18-21.
The MIT-hosted program is a byproduct of our ongoing efforts to meet the challenges that passive house designers face in North America. One critical challenge is the moisture performance of a superinsulated wall. The correct design and choice of materials are probably the most difficult aspects of passive housing in North America, where humidity and cooling requirements are big issues in many regions.
To meet the challenge, we are working with the Fraunhofer Institute, a global energy research and consulting leader, to incorporate in our training an in-depth introduction to WUFI (WUFI is a hygrothermal modeling tool developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in partnership with Fraunhofer).
Fraunhofer has a relationship with MIT and helped facilitate MIT’s hosting of the upcoming training.
Historical Tidbit:
For those of you who know the full history of passive house, being at M.I.T. has special signifcance. William Shurcliff, whose pioneering work preceded and helped lay the foundation for passive house, worked at M.I.T. and Harvard for many years.
Other Training Updates for 2012
- A beefed up segment on hygrothermal building science and an introduction to modeling using the ORNL/Fraunhofer WUFI tool. Students learn to design superinsulated wall structures – in all climate zones — that are free of moisture problems. Note: The General Services Administration now requires that a WUFI model is run on every GSA project!!
- Expanded coverage of large multi-family projects and dormitories including reviews of ongoing and planned projects across the United States; plus, a look at the first finished passive house commercial applications including office buildings.
- Specific mechanical solutions for mixed humid and hot humid climates
- An introduction to the PHIUS+ certification program, which introduces a RESNET approved quality control/quality assurance component to project certification, and leads to an accurate HERS score – essential for earning energy-efficiency financial incentives.
- For 2012, the in-class exam is now computer-based. The online portion can now be taken on the last day of training – students get results immediately upon completion, along with solutions so students can learn from incorrect answers. The computer portion is followed by a take-home passive house design exercise.
Since the first class back in 2007, PHIUS has continually refined the curriculum to focus on North American challenges and solutions. Seven hundred professionals have gone through the training program since its start. More than 300 have taken the class and passed the exam have gone on to design high-quality, high-performance buildings – homes, office building, schools and community centers. A select few have taken the PHIUS Train-the-Trainer program and become PHIUS instructors.
Questions? Email: training@passivehouse.us
I hope we see you in Boston. Or New York, or Golden, Colo., or … check out the full schedule here. And read the full training description.
Kat
We are glad that this topic of local climate-specific refinement of the passive house standard has sparked such a lively debate and discussion. Clearly there is a lot of interest in the topic! That’s really good.
I’d like to take this opportunity to explain why our proposal to make passive house accommodate North American climate variations does not challenge the standard’s core principle.
We consider the passive house standard’s anchoring principle to be its commitment to comfort through near-perfect balancing of losses and gains. To date, meeting this goal has required minimizing peak load (the worst case scenario of heat loss on the coldest day of the year) to approximately 1 W/ft². At this peak load only a very small back-up space conditioning source is needed to keep comfortable.
The original idea of this balancing act — and of the peak load target of 1 W/ ft² – pre-dates the European passive house standard by more than 20 years. The peak load target was first introduced in the U.S. inaugural model energy code in 1975 (a code created as a result of the oil embargo in 1973). Today’s IECC commentary explains the principle very simply: If you have a room that is 100 ft² in area, and that room has a 100 watt light bulb in it, you are meeting your peak load requirement and don’t need a separate heating system.
Of course this is a very simplified way to describe the conceptual anchor of passive house, the light bulb being a placeholder for the sum of the internal energy sources matching the losses through the envelope, including ventilation losses. Equal in – equal out.
Now let me explain why we do not consider the 15kWh metric as either a magic number or an anchoring principle, but rather as a derivative of that peak load assumption. The 15 kWh/m²yr (or 4.75 kBTU/ft²yr) annual heat demand metric is used to identify the amount of heating energy consumed over the period of one year.
That 15kWh figure was derived for the German climate from the peak load target figure (1 W/ft².). It so happens that Darmstadt, Germany is one of the climate sweet spots where limiting heat loss to that 1 W/ft² (10 W/m²) threshold is possible with relatively reasonable and cost-effective amounts of insulation. Germany’s climate is called “moderately cold” for a reason. The delta T is not that great. Heating is the only climate issue that needs to be addressed. That makes the design process — relatively speaking — easy and clear-cut as there are no additional conditions, such as cooling needs or dehumidification, to consider.
We know the design recipe components necessary for building a European passive home envelope that keeps heat loss smaller or equal to our internal gains, or, in other words, meets the 1 W/ft² (10 W/m²) peak load criterion: we calculate the required amount of superinsulation; we use high quality windows, we assume airtightness at 0.6 ACH50…
In Central Europe, we reach the 1 W/ft² (10 W/m²) peak load target with an approximate insulation level of 14 inches of R-4 for a well-oriented, compact single family home. A practical and attainable scenario — in Darmstadt.
From the specs for that same house, we can calculate the total energy usage for heating over the period of one year based on the climate-specific heating degree days. For the Darmstadt climate, that annual heating demand calculates to approximately 15 kWh/m²yr or 4.75 kBTU/ft²yr. No rocket science. Simple energy balancing.
Therefore we do not consider the annual heating demand (15 kWh/m²yr ) as a fixed and given part of the “functional definition” of a passive house,. It is a consequence of designing to meet the peak load criterion of 1 W/ft² (10 W/m²) in the particular Central European climate.
The 15 kWh figure is a good median starting point for passive designs, as it is derived in a median type climate — median delta T, median length of time when heating is required — where the peak load balancing act is fulfilled almost perfectly. But this is only one specific climate with one specific combination of climate characteristics. This 15 kWh criterion will need to flex as the delta T and amounts of heating degree days change and the underlying principles are applied in different, more extreme climates that deviate significantly from the median base line climate of Central Europe.
Aside from heating, the existing standard is limited even further when we factor in additional North American climate issues such as cooling and dehumidification.
To reiterate:
- We consider the passive house standard’s anchoring principle to be its commitment to comfort through near-perfect balancing of losses and gains.
- To date, meeting that balance has meant minimizing peak loads to approximately 1 W/ft². In Central Europe, that happens to pencil out to the 15kwh average consumption figure.
But, we will demonstrate in a future blog post that achieving that peak load goal (and therefore the 15kWh max threshold figure) is next to impossible in some climates, and definitely not practical. Because the peak load of 1 W/ft² doesn’t apply everywhere, neither can the 15kWh.
Other building science experts, Including Marc Rosenbaum, agree that the current standard has limitations, and offer their own ideas about addressing the issue. (Check out Marc’s proposal for New England.) The good news is that despite all these reasonable challenges to the notion of a single standard, the design principles still hold true, and the peak load target remains a useful tool as a benchmark — even if not an absolute in every single climate zone.
As we develop the specifics of our proposal, we look forward to discussion and debate among all interested and knowledgeable parties. Combined with the growing body of data we’ve accumulated from passive house projects that have been built around the continent, we believe we can introduce the flexibility that will make fundamental passive house principles mainstream practice.
In the meantime, look for more on lessons learned, climate complexity and how to possibly refine annual heating and cooling demands while maintaining the underlying physics principles in upcoming blog posts. Stay tuned!!
On the road again. This time to Baltimore for the ACI National Home Performance Conference. We’ll
be there, sharing a booth (number 522) with Elysian Energy. If you’re planning to attend, please come by and see us!
Also, at NESEA BE12 in Boston, we tried something new: I led a trade show floor tour of exhibitors who offer components and materials for passive house design and construction. For members of the passive house community, it was a fast, efficient way to get a look at passive house wares on display.
The tour was extremely well-received (I ended up doing two of them). So we decided we’ll do the same at ACI. I hope you can join us – just meet at Booth 522, Wednesday, March 28, at noon. We’ll embark from there. Meantime, here’s a bit of a virtual view of what we’ll be looking at:
ACT Inc D’MAND Systems
The next big thing is multi-family passive buildings. The challenge in those: meeting the source energy demand. Hot water usage is high and contributes to a lot oflosses along and with them heat gains in a scenario already dominated by internal load. Minimizing such is important to minimize energy use and to reduce cooling needs in a multi-family Passive Building. The on-demand recirculating hot water pump is one really good way to go
Applegate Insulation, FiberAmerica , GreenFiber, National Fiber
A little a while ago a discussion emerged over if and how embodied energy of insulation materials should be accounted for in a passive house energy balance. As superinsulation requires more material, it is my personal opinion that choices of materials with very low embodied energy are a safe, sound and environmentally good practice. Cellulose has one of the lowest embodied energies and is only beaten by – you guessed it – straw bale. Cellulose is also a safe choice when it comes to the hygrothermal wall performance of a superinsulated wall. Superinsulation means very little heat loss from inside into the wall, therefore less drying potential for the wall and colder exterior sheathing surfaces, presenting potentially a higher risk for condensation. Cellulose can mitigate some moisture that might occur, is more forgiving than other materials and if the wall was designed in a diffusion-open fashion as it should be for a Passive Home, then potential moisture in the wall will dry out again in the in-between seasons.”
CertainTeed Corporation, Johns Manville
PHIUS’ affordable housing developer Ecological Construction Laboratory used for all its Urbana, Ill., projects high density blown-in fiberglass insulation – BIBS. After 9 years the first house was reexamined with an infrared camera. It looked like it did on day one. We have been very happy with the R-value, no settling and of course the cost effectiveness of this product! BIBS is an excellent choice.
Earth Advantage Institute
Earth Advantage Institute is as of last month a PHIUS partner in delivering the Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) training. EAI is intending to offer training in a large area: the Pacific Northwest including British Columbia and California. EAI has earned a great reputation for its vision, first-rate educational programs and instructors and a first of its kind carbon score system for homes.
Intus Windows
Intus windows are a very cost-effective European window solution. Manufactured in Lithuania, they offer the same European quality of high performance frames, glazing, airtightness, multi-lock hardware as well as cool moderate climate verification for their frame through the European PHI. All at a slightly more affordable cost than other competitors. The two young entrepreneurs who are driving Intus forward in the United States are both Passive House enthusiasts. On the horizon: they are working on establishing a factory located in the United States to manufacture their product locally. I am looking forward to that day. The smartest thing we can do is ship the recipe for excellent technology across the ocean instead of the whole window. Intus Windows is
also distributing the Schueco Passive House curtain wall system (cool moderate climate verified).”
The Energy Conservatory
The man and the company who brought us the Blower Door, the Duct Blaster, and now the Flow
Blaster. Say no more.
I’ve been on the road a lot lately but let me thank you again for your thoughtful contributions and the
Solar radiation exposure is one factor that differs dramatically between Germany and the US. (National Renewable Energy Laboratory, European Commission)
healthy debate sparked by my first blog post, “15kwh is Dead, Long Live 15kwh.” In the post I put forth PHIUS’ plans to modify the passive house standard to address the specific climate and market needs of the North American market. A quick summary of the changes and their value:
- Modifications will be based on the first and only large-scale analysis of passive house buildings in the United States and Canada – the 100+ buildings certified/under review by PHIUS.
- They will address the substantive and reasonable critiques (such as the small-home penalty) of leading building scientists in North America like John Straube, Marc Rosenbaum, and Martin Holladay.
- They will safeguard the high quality for which passive house is known by acknowledging
View Marc Rosenbaum's presentation on passive house in the United States from the 2011 North American Passive House Conference
fundamental differences (e.g., building in high-humidity zones presents unique quality challenges).
- Modifications will calibrate envelope improvements more precisely for each climate and will be more cost effective than the one-size-fits-all approach. They will improve cost effectiveness in colder climates while maintaining comfort and quality of the envelope. And they will actually tighten the standard in climates where there is opportunity for more stringent targets.
The post touched off a great deal of constructive discussion and supportive comments – many folks expressing support for an idea they believe was long overdue.
Understandably, the prospect of change also caused some angst. Recently, a petition was circulated asking folks to sign-on in support of maintaining a single numerical standard associated with the term passive house. I fully understand the response – years ago, I might have signed on myself. But since then, based on the collective experience of passive house consultants who have designed and constructed projects across the continent, it’s become clear that adaptation is critical.
It’s also become clear that we at PHIUS need to get better at explaining the rationale for the modifications that we’re proposing and how they will help propel the market forward while maintaining the core principles of passive house.
To that end, I’d like to respond to some of the concerns and ensuing discussion around the petition mentioned earlier.
Let’s start with a sentiment expressed in a Green Building Advisor article related to the petition topic: It was expressed that the “beauty of the standard is its purity.” Purity implies uniformity, and my intended point is that 15kwh is not a universal truth, and therefore not practical for all climate regions. The rigor of passive house is universal. In the US, 15kwh is rigorous and practical in the Pacific Northwest but hat’s not the case in most of the other North American climate zones.
By the same token, in some areas of the United States – Southern California, for example – it’s technically and economically practical to do better than 15kwh. And it’s worth reiterating: adjusting the standard will allow us to do away with the small-house penalty (that being that it’s actually easier to achieve 15kwh in a larger structure than a small one, thereby presenting an incentive to build larger).
As mentioned in the first blog post, other parts of the world have already concluded that 15kwh is not universal. This is really not a new development.
More important, is the suggestion that modifying the standard creates market confusion. Three points argue against this being a concern:
1. Passive house is not a brand. Passive house is a generic term for structures that require little or no actively generated energy for heating and cooling. Put another way: “Passive house” is the equivalent to “hybrid automobile.” Car manufacturers now make their versions with their brands.
2. Passive house applies to the principles and practices – which are universal – required to build passive structures. Many of them — superinsulation, airtightness, energy recovery ventilation, managing solar gain — originated in the United States and Canada. They don’t belong to anyone. They are not brands. And they are available to all designers and builders who want to learn to apply them. They remain intact and powerful regardless of any number.
3. As more competitors arrive in a growing market wishing to offer passive house products clear branding of different passive house products (different trainings, quality assurance protocols or standard variations) is important to avoid confusion in the market place. PHIUS has differentiated its product by creating the PHIUS+ program.
Market size is a bigger concern. Passive house has come a long, long way in the past several years. But the market is still tiny. The imperative is to grow the market. And it will not grow if we adhere to a standard that isn’t practical in large swaths of the continent.
By making the standard applicable across the continent, and teaching professionals how to make passive house work where they work, we can help passive house principles go mainstream here in North America. We can make passive house principle best practice. And that will achieve all of our ultimate goals: Less energy, less pollution, more comfort. All thanks to passive house.
The mark of a CPHC...
In May 2008, PHIUS launched the first English-language passive house training program, and with it, the Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHCsm) accreditation.
By the start of 2012, nearly 700 professionals had completed or were enrolled in the PHIUS training program. More than 300 trainees from across the nation had passed the exam to become accredited as a CPHC. And they’ve been busy – they’ve submitted more than 150 projects — residential, commercial and retrofits– for verification in the PHIUS+ Quality Assurance program.
From the beginning, PHIUS classes had a North American accent that was based on real-world
Louisville Courier-Journal article from 1982 detailing a house built in Urbana that utilized superinsulation, airtight envelope, energy recover ventilation, and solar gains. Yes, 1982.
experience. In 2008, that experience was largely my own and that of a handful pioneering souls, including many who had pioneered passive house principles like superinsulation in the United States and in Canada decades ago.
That’s changed, thanks to lots of committed individuals. Leading these trainings has been a revelation — and an inspiration — for me and my fellow instructors. Our classes are filled with enthusiastic, extremely bright and energetic architects, engineers, builders, energy raters and consultants. Everyone gets – and gets excited by — the fundamental passive house principles. Everyone brings their real-world experience from their regions. And everyone contributes to advancing passive house.
The result: A continually evolving training curriculum that draws on years of experience and data from a growing community with local expertise.
For example: We’ve learned that hygrothermal modeling – maybe unnecessary in some climates – is critical to successful passive house design in many North American regions. It’s the only way to anticipate and address moisture issues in envelope components associated with humidity that are widely present in the United States and Canada. As a result, students now get a hands-on introduction to hygrothermal modeling using WUFI modeling software. (A free version of WUFI is offered by Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Fraunhofer Institute.)
Similarly, THERM (free download from Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory) is useful to calculate thermal bridging, and students now receive an introduction to using that software tool. Because WUFI and THERM have become de rigeur in many scenarios, we’ve also developed workshops devoted entirely to those tools.
Click on the image to download the PHIUS Technical Committee's paper on evaluating windows for passive house.
The field is developing quickly, and the curriculum will develop accordingly. The existing community of CPHCs continues to build and certify projects and their experience flows back into CPHC classes. The PHIUS Technical Committee, comprising leading passive house practitioners, regularly publishes papers – the latest on evaluating window performance for passive house projects. This year, PHIUS will publish the PHIUS library, a training companion folder that will be updated on and ongoing basis as sections are revised or added (Passive House Alliance members benefit from receiving the newest updates as part of their membership benefit packet for free!).
As our curriculum has evolved, so has the examination process: A computer-based exam component focuses exclusively on North American climates, detailing, construction technology, building conventions, climate-appropriate mechanical equipment and code requirements. Americans can work in Inch Pound units and Canadians can choose metric. Examinees then take home a basic design exercise. This year, for the first time students can opt to take the exam on the afternoon of the last day of class. If students don’t feel ready, they can opt to take the exam at the end of any class program at any location at a later time. The Passive House Alliance US (PHAUS) is also hosting two exams per year in various chapter locations scheduled independently from trainings.
European training providers also offer Certified Passivhaus Designer (CEPH) training in the North American market – CEPH standing for Certified European Passive House. For those who take the European training or have achieved the European accreditation, PHIUS will soon offer an abbreviated training and exam sequence to receive PHIUS CPHC accreditation and listing on the PHIUS Web site.
Join us!
PHIUS has an incredible roster of instructors from around the country. But the buzz in the CPHC training classrooms comes as much from our students as us. (If you want to hear from someone who took the class, check out Jesse Thompson’s account of taking the class on the Green Architects’ Lounge podcast.)
We’ve come this far as a community, and we need to grow the community of qualified passive house professionals if we’re going to achieve the goal of making passive house mainstream. There are more opportunities than ever, as PHAUS chapters begin offering training in their regions, and as partners like Earth Advantage Institute and Carnegie Mellon University begin hosting classes.
Upcoming CPHC trainings include: San Francisco later this month; Salt Lake City in May; June brings New York, Atlanta (in partnership with the local PHA-US chapter) and Portland (through our new partner, Earth Advantage Institute). Seattle training dates, also offered by Earth Advantage, will be announced soon. Boston dates are also in the works.
Check the schedule for updates at the PHIUS site or at the PHAUS National Events calendar.
If none of the sites/dates work, subscribe to the PHIUS newsletter to get updates on additional training sites and updates.
And you can read a full course description here.
See you soon I hope!
Hi everyone,
So, from RESNET 2012 it was onto the Passive House Northwest Spring Conference, and now Boston for the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) Building Energy 12 (BE12) conference and trade show. We hope you can make — if you can, a few quick notes:
- PHIUS and Passive House Alliance US will be teaming up at booth #1040 — come see me, Mike Kernagis, and Mark Miller (of PHA-US) at the booth.
- Make sure to sign up for my workshop, “Advance Integrated Mechanical Systems for Passive Houses” — it’s Tuesday, 9:00 a.m. to Noon. When you sign up, you’re eligible to join the tour of passive house components and materials on display on the trade show floor. (That’s Wednesday.) For a preview of the tour, check out my earlier posts.
- We hope you’ll join Paul Eldrenkamp (of Byggmeister Design Build), Jo Lee (of GreenMachine), me and other members of
Paul Eldrenkamp
the passive house community for dinner Tuesday evening, immediately after the BE12 opening forum. (FYI, everyone foots their own bill.) Special thanks to Paul, a Passive house pioneer and overall sustainable building pioneer, and Jo Lee for leading the effort — it’s a great opportunity for the substantial passive house contingent to get together.
Kat
