What is Passive House?
Passive House is a method of design and construction that prioritizes occupant comfort, health, and safety, while lowering monthly utility bills by up to 50%.
Based on over 30 years of scientific research, Passive House is an international standard used to create buildings all over the world. From single-family homes, to office buildings, to factories, and more, Passive Houses can be built anywhere, for any purpose.
In a world where the building sector produces almost 40% of greenhouse gas emissions, Passive House is the key to a greener, safer, and more efficient future.
Rebuilding with Passive House
Passive House creates safer communities, especially in areas prone to extreme weather. From winter storms to wildfires, explore these resources to find out how Passive House can keep you safer during Climate Disasters.
PHN Presents —Passive House & Fire Resilience: Our free online webinar explains how Passive House & Fire Resilient building techniques can be combined to create a better-protected building and surrounding landscape. Hear from experts in both the Passive House Community and the National Fire Protection Association.
5 Ways Passive House Supports Fire Resilience: Learn the basics about the Passive House building standard, how Passive House supports a healthy planet, and how Passive House can support Fire Resilience. Then, explore education and community building resources from PHN.
In the Aftermath of a Climate Disaster— Guidance on Avoiding Misinformation and Next Steps: It can be difficult to know what the next steps are after a Climate Disaster. This brief lays out 5 steps you can take to ensure a smooth rebuilding journey, and lists the reasons why rebuilding with Passive House can keep your community safer.
Homeowner’s Insurance & Wildfire Preparedness Guide: This two-page document offers an outline of your possible coverage options when it comes to wildfires, along with a guide on steps to take if you need to file a claim.
How to Rebuild from a Wildfire —Stories from the Marshall Fire: In 2021, the Marshall Fire burned down over 1,000 structures in Boulder, Colorado. As the community took stock of their options to rebuild, many designers, builders, and homeowners turned to Passive House. They told their stories during the 2023 PHN Conference sessions, now available free online.
Safe at Home — How all-electric, multi-family Passive House buildings deliver comfortable, cost-effective climate resilience: A landmark report from 2023, this document provides insight into how Passive House can create safer communities, especially where extreme weather is a concern, with additional analysis on cost compared to conventionally designed buildings.
Passive House & Winter Weather: The annual polar vortex is an opportunity to check out the benefits that Passive House can provide during periods of extreme cold. This 2025 blog post explains how Passive House can keep you safer when the power goes out during dangerous temperatures.
What it Means to be Safe at Home: In 2024, the city of Houston experienced a severe storm that knocked out the power grid during dangerously high temperatures. In this blog post, we explain that Passive House is more than just comfort and energy-savings. Passive House building standards can save lives.
The Marshall Fire Rebuilds
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Clockwise from Upper Left: Colorado/Hyperlocal Workshop, New York/CoAdaptive, Pennsylvania/Onion Flats, New York/Baxt Ingui, California/Paravarant, New Mexico/Needbased
Are You a Building Professional? Get Trained.
Passive House is not rocket science, it’s simple and basic building science, applied with intention.
Builders and Architects: There are direct pathways to gain the few critical skills needed to deliver reliable high-performance homes. It’s not about re-inventing the wheel, it’s about focus, and integrated thinking. You really have the skills, Passive House training simply brings them to the fore and perhaps unexpectedly transforms your expectations of building performance. Don’t hesitate, don’t build the last 20th Century home – instead build the future.
Become a Certified Passive House Designer or Consultant
Become a Certified Passive House Tradesperson
Building Certification is Important for Many Reasons
Building certification can be the gateway to financial incentives and hence the incentives a driver of certification, but don’t lose site of the massive opportunities certification provides well beyond the transaction. There are many many important reasons to certify. When you certify your home will be much better for it, the team will be better, your life will be better.
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