The Passive House Network (PHN) is a nonprofit that teaches Passive House to the people who design, build, own, and regulate buildings in North America. We work with the Passive House Institute (PHI) and the International Passive House Association (iPHA), so what you learn with us is the standard used worldwide.
On this page: Mission and vision · What we do · Why Passive House, and why PHN · What’s changed · Our values · Our people · Governance and transparency · Equity and inclusion · Chapters and international ties
Mission and vision
Our board adopted these in 2018, when we were the North American Passive House Network (NAPHN).
Vision. “A sustainable, post-carbon, all-renewable energy future — supported by buildings that are efficient, comfortable, affordable, resilient and healthy.”
Mission. “The transformation of the built environment using the tools and frameworks developed by the Passive House Institute in a critical effort to combat global warming. We provide training, conferences, and other events to both engage and educate design and building professionals, policymakers and the general public. We support the success and vitality of the Passive House community.”
What we do
| Program | What it is | For |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Passive House Designer (CPHD) training | The course for PHI’s Certified Passive House Designer and Consultant exam. | Architects, engineers, and consultants |
| Certified Passive House Tradesperson (CPHT) training | The course for PHI’s tradesperson exam. | Builders and trades |
| Specialized courses | Shorter courses on one subject, live online, on demand, and in person. Many count toward renewing PHI credentials. | Certified professionals and anyone going further |
| Conference and symposia | The PHN Conference every two years, with a symposium on one subject between them. | Everyone in the field |
| PHN Presents | Online presentations of new research, reports, and projects. | Everyone in the field |
| International Passive House Open Days | Tours of occupied Passive House buildings, part of PHI’s worldwide Open Days. | Owners, the public, and the curious |
| Reports and briefs | Our research on policy, codes, and cost, and the reports by others we rely on. | Policymakers, owners, and developers |
| Video library | Recorded talks, conference sessions, and symposia. | Everyone |
| Chapters and membership | Eleven regional chapters that meet online and in person, and a membership that pays for this work. | Everyone |
Why Passive House, and why PHN
Most buildings, green-labeled ones included, use too much energy, give poor and unreliable indoor air, aren’t safe in a blackout, and cost too much to run and keep up. They stay tied to fossil fuels. The line from a design or construction choice to its result in carbon, health, and comfort is seldom drawn, and the fixes on offer tend to wait on technology that’s always around the corner.
Passive House draws that line. It cuts the energy a building needs to heat and cool, and gives the people inside fresh, filtered air and even temperatures, summer and winter. Three things set PHN’s teaching apart:
- Clear guideposts. We tie each choice to its outcome, so teams see what matters and raise their sights. Renewable power can’t make up for a building that wastes it.
- Scientific rigor. The standard and its methods come from the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt, Germany, whose decades of research, testing, and measurement underpin the certification of buildings, components, and professionals.
- Global networks. One standard is used worldwide, so a team in Boston can learn from one in Brussels. We’ve worked with cities such as Brussels, New York, and Vancouver, and with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and we bring peers together across borders, because they learn most from each other.
What’s changed
We’ve worked alongside many partners toward these:
- New York State’s Multifamily Buildings of Excellence program.
- Passive House as a path to code compliance, and the Massachusetts Specialized Opt-In Code. See Building Codes.
- Certified affordable housing, schools, and offices.
- Passive House methods taken up across sustainable building programs.
- A building culture that once ridiculed Passive House and now builds on it.
Our values
Our values are calls to action: how we work should match the world we’re working toward.
- Be curious: keep learning.
- Be inspired: keep a sense of wonder.
- Be visionary: imagine the future.
- Be bold: call for urgency and action.
- Be celebratory: bring joy to the effort.
- Be collaborative: make a welcoming, equitable community.
- Be professional: work with integrity and transparency.
If you share these values, or will hold yourself to them, join us.
Our people
PHN has a small core staff, an independent board of directors, and independent trainers. Meet our staff, Board of Directors, and trainers.
Governance and transparency
PHN is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, incorporated in New York as North American Passive House Network, Inc., and doing business as The Passive House Network. We’re committed to gender and racial equity in our governance, operations, and programs.
| Record | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Bylaws | How the board is chosen and how PHN is governed. |
| Conflict of interest policy | How directors and officers disclose and manage conflicts. |
| Board committees | The committees that help govern PHN, and their members (2021). |
| Board composition | Our policy on gender and racial equity on the board. |
| Tax returns (Form 990) | 2021 · 2022 |
| Candid profile | Our public nonprofit profile on Candid, formerly GuideStar. |
Equity and inclusion
The climate crisis and our social crisis, structural racism and marginalization, are driven by the same broken systems. We can’t solve one and leave the other, so social and environmental justice are central to our work, and we make the connection explicit. If that’s work you want to do, do it with us:
- Black Lives Matter
- Our statement on equity and inclusion
- PHN Education Fellowship
- PHN DEI event series
- Equity sessions from the conference and PHN Presents
Chapters and international ties
PHN has eleven regional chapters. Ten are part of PHN, each steered by its chapter leaders; Passive House California is an independent nonprofit that works with us. Every meeting is open to everyone, online and in person. To help a chapter grow, speak at a meeting, or share an event, contact the chapter, or post to the PHN Chapter Hub. To start a chapter in a new region, write to us at info@passivehousenetwork.org.
PHN is a member of the International Passive House Association, part of the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt, Germany; here is our affiliation agreement. We also work with allied organizations across North America and worldwide.
For a two-page overview, download our brochure. To work with us, or with a question: info@passivehousenetwork.org.
Checked October 2026.
