Every Passive House designer who has modelled in PHPP10 knows what a pain it’s become to enter heat pump data. To solve this, we’re developing a heat pump webinar with a whole lot of building physics behind it. (Save the date: 5 March 2025, 12.30 – 2.00pm) PHPP9 allowed standard data to be used, but PHI changed that with the …
What’s to like in the MBIE H1 consultation document?
After painstakingly researching, consulting on and citing improvements to thermal performance in the NZ Building Code for years, MBIE was directed by its incoming minister to investigate rolling back changes. Chris Penk cited anecdotes from a couple of Tauranga group home builders that more insulation was causing overheating as his rationale, all while banging on the housing shortage drum. In …
Owl Woods: complex form, superb Passive House performance
This Australian Passive House home is such a stunning departure from a simple rectangle and a great example of how complex forms can still be extremely energy efficient. It goes to show what energy modelling at design stage can achieve. Congratulations to all our Australian Passive House colleagues who brought this project to fruition back in 2019. The design didn’t …
Kara’s last tradies course
It was the end of an era last week, when Kara Rosemeier taught her last CET (certified Passive House tradesperson) in Auckland . Knowing Kara, hers will be a very active retirement and it’s a staged process. Kara will run one or more Certified Passive House Designer courses in 2025 before Sustainable Engineering assumes responsibility for all Passive House certification …
Wanted: Passive House champions
We want more Passive House champions! Resources will be released this summer to make it easier for select professionals to present the benefits and details of the Passive House standard. I’m currently working on a PowerPoint presentation—full slides, plus speaker’s notes—that will be available for certified Passive House professionals to use. Basically, we want to make it easier for you …
Passive House buildings still need heating
Here in New Zealand climates, people living in certified Passive House homes need to turn the heater on sometimes. To me as a building scientist and Passive House certifier, this is a blindingly obvious statement. But when a well-informed friend was grizzling about having to run heating in late May in their new Passive House, I had to think about …
H1 insulation requirements are not expensive
How much cost does upgraded insulation required under the revised H1 add to a new build? Much less than anecdotal figures bandied about in the media, according to some solid research released last month. “EBOSS and New Zealand Certified Builders (NZCB), with design input from Architects Designgroup Stapleton Elliott (DGSE), teamed up with quantity surveying firm YourQS to put real …
Wellington Passive House meet up
The Wellington chapter of PHINZ is hosting a social event on 3 December at the Southern Cross hotel. No presentations or talks, just a relaxed drink with friends and like-minded people. If you’re interested in Passive House (either as a professional or a home owner), this is a great chance to chat to architects, designers, tradies and other homeowners. The …
The independence of Passive House certifiers
Jessica Eyers was the architectural designer and Passive House designer for this month’s featured case study, a groundbreaking prefab straw home. Jessica ran her own architectural design company from 2012 to 2023, when she wound up the practice and we welcomed her to the Sustainable Engineering Ltd team. The independence and impartiality of Passive House certifiers is absolutely vital. The …