Off-grid PV systems are not carbon-friendly

It’s common for Passive House homes to have solar panels on their roofs. Every Passive House Plus or Passive House Premium project has to generate at least as much energy...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2024

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First US EnerPHit hotel is a beauty

What did you do on your family winter break? I took mine to a PHI-certified EnerPHit hotel, the first of its kind in the US.  I really enjoyed our stay....

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Design and build your own Passive House Premium off-grid home

  Maria’s Passive House is in select company whichever way you look at. Few New Zealand Passive projects are rural; only three are certified to Premium performance; it’s believed to...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Jul 2024

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Wildfires also kill people through fine particulate pollution

This paper on PM2.5 pollution caused by wildfires estimates the number of Americans killed by wildfires—not the fire itself but the fine particulate pollution in the smoky air. It has...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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When must windows be open in your Passive House?

As any Passive House homeowner knows, you can open your windows and doors whenever you want. The mechanical ventilation is delivering fresh, filtered, pre-warmed (or cooled) air 24/7 which means...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Jun 2024

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Making certified Passive House tradesperson training even better

Ideas on how to make certified Passive House tradespersons training even better: that’s one of the things I took away from the THRIVE 2024 Passivhaus Conference in Melbourne. UK architect...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: May 2024

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Highlights from the 2024 Thrive Passivhaus Conference

The Thrive 2024 Passivhaus Conference in Melbourne last week was great—here are my highlights. It was well worth nipping across the ditch for two days. (Was I really the only...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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NZGBC lays out emissions reductions through better buildings

NZ Green Building Council’s latest report is well worth reading. In my view, the policy changes it recommends are easy (we could do more). Buildings are capable of delivering about...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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World’s smallest Passive House building?

What and where is the world’s smallest certified Passive House building? I was asked this question today and didn’t know the answer. It turns out my guess was way off. ...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: May 2024

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The right filter matters in your MVHR system

MVHR systems are great but they need the right filters and the right maintenance to do their job well. I draw your attention to a useful article published by Scottish...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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There are lots of different reasons why people build Passive House homes

What motivates people and organisations to build better homes? And how do they afford them? It was interesting to chat with Architype principal Tim Ross this week about the Arthur...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Apr 2024

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Is Passive House actually worth it?

I’m often asked (usually politely): Is building to the Passive House standard actually worth it? Yes it is, is the unequivocal answer. There’s a brilliant summary paper written by Dr...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Build better houses to solve dry year energy problem

Newsflash: using less energy is better than generating more of it. I know that seems obvious given the cost of new electricity generation schemes but it’s even more significantly beneficial...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Simple timber buildings are ripe for retrofits

This Canadian retrofit project is encouraging: it’s an old timber-framed and clad building with single-paned glazing in timber frames. Built in the 1850s, it’s older than the New Zealand homes...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2024

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DefignTalks podcast talks operational energy

The first episode of a new podcast for architectural designers launched this week, and its first guest is Sustainable Engineering Ltd’s principal Jason Quinn. Hosts Glenn Murdoch and Casey Curtis...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Mar 2024

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The Heights Whare keeps gathering attention

Newly certified LEB The Heights Whare has been featured in an extensive two-page (broadsheet) story in the Otago Daily Times. It can only be read online by subscribers (the ODT...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Mar 2024

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Bader Ventura is a certified Passive House project

Oddly, this write-up about Kainga Ora’s Bader Ventura project doesn’t make it explicit that the building did achieve Passive House certification. You can read a detailed case study by Sustainable...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Feb 2024

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Design Passive House for your individual client

Should Passive House designers be doing more to design buildings that avoid summer overheating? This article from mainstream business magazine Forbes considers Bahnstadt, a Passive House district in Heidelberg, Germany....

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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