Passive House Climate Files for NZ
As of 13 December 2017 there are six additional PHI certified climate files for NZ. These now cover all of NZ including the Chatham Islands. It is important to note...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Mar 2026
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WUFI
Hygrothermal modeling with WUFI Sustainable Engineering can perform hygrothermal modeling of your proposed assemblies using WUFI one or two dimensional software. Quick initial reviews of assemblies and more in-depth consulting...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Mar 2026
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Stress test your design for Overheating
I hate comfort complaints. Not the complaining bit – folks are nice – but I hate the failed expectations of comfort. This past summer I had several calls from clients...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Jul 2021
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Glass is rocket science for high performance buildings
During a presentation at the South Pacific Passive House Conference in Christchurch (March 2017). I spoke on lessons learned from New Zealand projects. One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Mar 2026
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Fundamental of Building Science – The Building Enclosure and the Four Control Layers
Understanding of the building enclosure and the four control layers that make up the building enclosure is vital to understanding how the building enclosure will perform Enclosure The building enclosure...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Mar 2026
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How to estimate of the R-value of unconditioned spaces
Several Passive House projects undergoing certification have requested a way to estimate the additional R-value of an adjoining unconditioned spaces (such as garage). A good example is a garage which...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Mar 2026
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DHW Tanks – W/K from kWh/day
Summary The Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) requires that energy losses from Domestic Hot Water (DHW) Storage tanks be entered as Watts per degree Kelvin (W/K) rather than the more...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Mar 2026
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How to scale HRV data to ERV for use in Passive House Planning Package
Summary Several Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) systems available have HRV performance data for the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) but do not have Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) performance data. Knowing...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Mar 2026
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Hygiene Criterion applied to a thermal bridge
PH certification criteria requires that a minimum surface temperature be achieved. Steps: 1. Determine the exterior temperature to use – call this the Hygiene External Temperature. This temperature can be...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Mar 2026
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05 July 2018 Opinion’s Jessica Berentson-Shaw: KiwiBuild risks embedding wealth and housing inequalities
“It is feasible for people in government to ensure the next generation of children has more choice.Building standards need an overhaul. We are lagging behind other similar countries.Mr Twyford should...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Feb 2019
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03 July 2018 Australian Passive House Association: A zero-energy home is not as challenging as you might think, with the right toolkit
In this article, Clare Parry from the Australian Passive House Association points out how it’s really a simplicity introduced by Passive House that allows these homes to easily meet zero-energy...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Oct 2018
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06 June 2018 Stuff Piers Fuller: A tenth of New Zealand houses not fit to live in, health researcher says
I met Dr Pierse at University of Otago’s Public Health Summer School on the day of the release of the World Health Organisation’s International Housing & Health Guidelines (25 February...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Jun 2019
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27 May 2018 Wanganui Chronicle – Home is where the heart(and the heat) is by Rachel Rose
I think the epic quote from this article could be paraphrased as “Your brand new home might still be cold, damp, and bad for your health”. I think that’s a...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Mar 2026
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23 April 2018 Stuff’s Will Harvie: The applied science of super energy-efficient Passive Houses
“Building a super energy-efficient Passive House requires careful planning, design and applied science. “ “It’s just a house,” says Glenn Murdoch, design director at Theca Group. “There’s nothing special that...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Apr 2019
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10 April 2018 South Pacific Passive House Conference
If you missed it, the South Pacific Passive House Conference in Melbourne this year was a fantastic conference. We participated through leading a workshop on advanced PHPP the day before...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Aug 2018
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06 April 2018 Superhome Movement’s April Newsletter
At the request of the Superhome Movement, Sustainable Engineering Ltd. has put together a technical proposal to build the mathematical model underlying the cool Superhome housing performance dashboard. “Superhome housing performance...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Aug 2018
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13 March 2018 Stuff’s Rexine Hawes: First Passive House concept in Matamata helping to change building industry
Good article on a great house. Brick veneer is tricky to get right without creating the potential for mould at the slab edge. This design team got it right on...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Dec 2018
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14 February 2018 The Harvard Gazette’ Colleen Walsh: Your building might be making you sick. Joe Allen can help
“We watched how they made plans and decisions and accessed information relative to what was happening to see if they could be strategic in their thinking and we found really...
by Jason Quinn
Updated: Mar 2026
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