designPH course now available on-demand

You can supercharge your designPH skills and improve your Passive House energy modelling whenever it suits you: our short course is now available on-demand. This is particularly useful for anyone...

by Jessica Eyers

Updated: Dec 2024

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PHINZ conference highlights solutions to NZ winter energy problem

PHINZ’s annual conference has just finished in Wellington—it was a great weekend and a welcome opportunity to catch up with colleagues-friends.  The programme dived deeply into carbon emissions and how...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Roofing detail provides for ventilation and adequate insulation

This detail is a good example of how to have a thin roofline but still sufficient insulation for an R6.6 roof. The advice may vary for a specific project, but...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Highlights from NZGBC Green Property Summit 2024

I attended the NZGBC Green Property Summit this month. Several presentations stood out. The first was by Sam Archer, who spoke immediately before the Minister of Climate Change—Sam sure put...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Aug 2024

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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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Trickle vents cheap but not ideal

Trickle vents are making a comeback in New Zealand because in combination with small extract fans they are the lowest-cost way to meet Homestar v5 requirements for continuous ventilation. However...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Aug 2024

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PHPP Expert credential on offer in NZ

New Zealand Passive House designers with suitable experience can now prepare for the PHPP Expert exam that grants official PHI-granted Expert status via a learning pathway developed by local experts...

by Rachel Rose

Updated: Mar 2026

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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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New carbon calculator integrates with PHPP

We built The Carbonator, a simple tool calculating building embodied and operational carbon emissions and it is now available so all Passive House designers can use it. Visit sustainableengineering.co.nz/thecarbonator/ for...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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PHI timber thermal bridge catalogue worth downloading

PHI has released an extensive catalogue of 600 timber frame thermal bridge calculations, plus a results file in Excel format that shows the resulting PSI values. The goal was to...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Jul 2024

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Essential to manage risks from moisture in CLT buildings

There are some advantages to being laggards in adopting new building products and methods. CLT is more common in Europe and has a longer history of use there. Damage and...

by Jason Quinn

Updated: Mar 2026

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Aggregate heat loss testing (coheating) standard released

Good news: a European Standard for heat load testing has been released. I hope it will lead to more research that measures the performance gap (if any) between the heating...

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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Streamlining Passive House design

There’s some anticipation about the release of easyPH, understandable given its promise to make Passive House design easier. Here’s some advice for new designers about how to streamline and simplify...

by Sara Wareing

Updated: Jul 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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easyPH tool aims to simplify Passive House design

A new tool for Passive House designers aims to simplify the entry of data into the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) software. Called easyPH, the beta version is bundled with...

by Jason Quinn

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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