Q&A with Jason: explain heating load vs demand

Q. What is the difference between heating demand and heating load and how is each measured? How do these numbers impact on Passive House certification? A. Both these numbers are...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2023

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“The most sustainable house is the one you don’t build”

New Zealanders have a vast job ahead retrofitting existing housing stock. Massively improving the thermal performance and energy efficiency of existing residential buildings is not optional if we are to...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Apr 2023

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Owners loving Bushland Park’s first Passive House homes

Bushland Park set out to be New Zealand’s first Passive House subdivision and builders Ethos Homes boldly built the first two homes on spec. The build went smoothly but the...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Feb 2023

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Is natural plaster airtight?

UPDATE Aug 2023 This project’s final blower door test showed a significant improvement in airtightness, which qualifies the initial commentary made below at the time of the preliminary test. The...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2023

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Momentum gathering on multi-occupancy Passive House projects

Architype in Dunedin has notched up another Passive House win, with successful certification of the country’s first social housing units. Our case study notes the challenges that were met with...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Feb 2023

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Aus leads way on educational Passive House buildings

A private childcare centre operator in Canberra, Australia had the foresight more than five years ago to build facilities to Passive House standards. Her aim was to build the healthiest...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Feb 2023

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Just a matter of time

I’ve always said: once you’ve lived in a certified Passive House home, you wouldn’t settle for anything less. I’d better change that to ‘once you’ve lived or worked…’ because these...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jan 2023

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Passive House award winners featured in online flipbook

Check this out: a lovely flipbook with in-depth case studies of the projects from the Passive House Architectural awards in 2021. Lavishly illustrated, illuminating text and lots of drawings: this...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jan 2023

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Mary James’ work influential

Mary James is the director of publications at Passive House Accelerator in the US. She’s written multiple books on aspects of Passive House and her work New York Passive House...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jan 2023

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Passive House in the spotlight

Josefine Watterson’s Featherston home has just received certification but already it is doubtless the nation’s best known Passive House home, thanks to being featured on Grand Designs. Josefine is the...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Jan 2023

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Jessica Eyers moving to Sustainable Engineering Ltd

Jessica Eyers is joining Sustainable Engineering Ltd in 2023. Jessica needs little introduction to New Zealand’s Passive House community as she has been a certified Passive House designer for nearly...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Dec 2022

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Grand design at Tapu more than meets the eye

Stuff’s ranking of this season’s homes featured on Grand Designs is of course highly subjective and arguably not particularly useful. Sustainability did feature as a criteria but frankly was a...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Dec 2022

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Renewal of your PH Designer/Consultant or PH Tradesperson Qualification

We’re often asked by accredited PH Designers / Consultants and Tradespersons how to renew their qualification. For PH Designers / Consultants there are two ways to renew your qualification: By...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Dec 2022

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“Grand” Passive House project in spotlight

Great to see certified Passive House performance getting some prime media coverage. It featured on Grand Designs this month, which was then written up by Stuff. It’s a large home...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Dec 2022

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Q&A on Passive House on Today FM podcast

Sustainable Engineering principal Jason Quinn featured in a long segment on the Design & Build Show. The interviewers did a good job of raising lots of the misconceptions that linger...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Mar 2026

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It’s not just about the money

Here’s a nice round up from Stuff, who talked to people living in Dunedin’s Toiora High Street co-housing development, which is certified Passive House. Stuff has covered this project well...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Nov 2022

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New video focuses on Fletcher’s LowCO project

It’s not often our work features in video format so it was fun to see Newsroom cover the LowCO (low-carbon) homes by Fletcher Living. Sustainable Engineering has been involved with...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Nov 2022

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No Passive House aquatic centre for NZ: yet

Australasian Leisure Management magazine has published a great article on Passive House aquatic facilities by Alex Head from Architecture HDT Christchurch and Sustainable Engineering’s Jason Quinn. As Alex explains, “aquatic...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Oct 2022

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