Passive House Financing:
Better Rates for Better Commercial Buildings

Passive House buildings have numerous benefits, from environmental health, to personal health, to energy costs and more, and interest is growing for commercial buildings, particularly multifamily buildings.

In commercial buildings, cost is a paramount concern. Our 2023 report Safe at Home finds that all-electric multifamily buildings can be built at the same cost or close to the same cost as conventionally designed buildings without factoring in the reduced operational cost savings that stack up over the life of the building.

Luckily, financing is starting to recognize the lower carrying costs Passive House performance provides. That’s where C-PACE financing comes in. C-PACE (or Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy) is a financing tool that allows property owners and developers to finance the cost of new or retrofit construction that meets certain energy and efficiency benchmarks, like, for instance, the Passive House standard. The long-term, low-rate options are an attractive option for reducing your overall cost.

C-PACE financing products go hand-in-hand with Passive House, and a new product from PACE Equity Finance goes a step further, recognizing PHI Certification for their lowest rate. CIRRUS Financing for Certified Green Buildings applies to both new and retrofit PHI projects. You can also refinance an existing project by providing proof of certification. Your Passive House Certifier can help you get all of your materials together for the application.

You can learn more about CIRRUS Financing and how it might help your next project achieve Passive House certification at an accessible price. Lock in a lower rate, lower your future energy costs, and make safe, healthy, resilient living spaces more accessible. Want to learn more about Passive House? Start here.