A Passive House Institute (PHI) certificate as a Passive House Designer, Consultant, or Tradesperson is valid for five years. You renew it with PHI in one of two ways: by documenting your work on a Passive House, or by earning credit points (often called CEUs) at PHI-approved courses and events. This page sets out both paths, how to log your credit points, and where to earn them, PHN’s own sessions included.
On this page: Two ways to renew · Logging your credit points · Where to earn credit points · On-demand sessions from PHN · Host an event that earns credit points · Resources
Two ways to renew
The rules differ in the details, so they’re side by side. Both credentials renew only through PHI when you use credit points.
| CPHD/C (Designer, Consultant) | CPHT (Tradesperson) | |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate valid | Five years from the date PHI issues it. Each renewal is valid another five. | Five years from the date PHI issues it. Each renewal is valid another five. |
| By credit points | 100 credit points. | 30 credit points, no more than 20 of them from any one kind: courses, events, or teaching. |
| Earned in the five years before you apply. | Earned in the five years before you apply. | |
| Points beyond 100 carry forward to your next renewal. | Points beyond 30 don’t carry forward. | |
| What counts | Courses and events whose focus is highly energy-efficient construction or the Passive House Standard, approved by PHI. Teaching them counts the same. | Courses and events whose focus is Passive House or retrofitting with Passive House components, approved by PHI, including those approved for designers. Teaching counts, with a written report on each course. |
| How points add up | One point per 45-minute learning unit, generally no more than eight a day. Exam time doesn’t count. | One point per 45-minute learning unit, generally no more than eight a day. Events: eight points for a full day, four for a half day. Exam time doesn’t count. |
| By documentation | Document a Passive House project you designed, as for qualifying, without proving your education again. Submit to PHI or a PHI-accredited assessing body. On a complex building of more than about 43,000 sq ft (4,000 m²), two people may, by exception, each document it for the parts they were responsible for, such as the envelope and the building services. | Document your own work on a Passive House, or on a highly efficient building where your trade’s work meets the energy criteria for it, done in the last five years. Submit to PHI or a PHI-accredited assessing body. |
| By exam | Not possible, even after the certificate has expired. | Not possible: a second exam in the same discipline doesn’t extend the certificate. |
| If it has expired | You can renew by documentation at any time, or by credit points if you’ve earned 100 in the last five years. | Applying after expiry suspends the certificate, as PHI’s directory shows, until the renewal is done. |
| Fee | €500 to PHI, paid in advance; iPHA members, PHN members among them, get 20% off. Through an assessing body, it sets the fee. Plus VAT where it applies (fee schedule). | €500 to PHI, paid in advance; iPHA members, PHN members among them, get 20% off. Through an assessing body, it sets the fee. Plus VAT where it applies (fee schedule). |
Logging your credit points
Log points as you earn them, in your PHI account. PHI credits them once it has checked your proof of attendance (PHI’s steps):
- Sign in and open the Exams & Certificates tab.
- Choose Add accredited training, search for the event by name or ID, and upload your confirmation of attendance.
- Choose Add to attended. PHI approves the points.
- When you have enough (100 or 30), the Renew certificate button becomes active. PHI contacts you and sends an invoice; once it’s paid, your renewed certificate arrives by email (PHI’s renewal steps).
PHI also takes paper applications: designers and consultants, tradespeople. PHN doesn’t collect or report your points. PHN issues a certificate of attendance for its live online training; for one you took earlier, ask training@passivehousenetwork.org.
Where to earn credit points
An event earns points only if PHI has approved it, and PHI approves each one for designers and for tradespeople separately. Check the event’s listing or PHI’s directory for which it counts toward.
| Who | What | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| PHN | On-demand sessions, one credit point each | Below |
| Sessions from the 2026 conference, on demand | 2026 Conference Courses | |
| Specialized courses, live online and on demand | Specialized Courses | |
| PHN Presents, a monthly online talk | PHN Presents | |
| Chapter meetings, many with credit. Open to everyone, members or not, in any region. | Chapters | |
| Events with credit, each marked in its listing | Calendar | |
| PHI and iPHA | iPHA’s monthly webinars | iPHA webinars |
| The International Passive House Conference | Passivhaustagung | |
| Passive House groups | Courses and events, in person, live online, and on demand, free and paid, in English and Spanish | Australian Passivhaus Association, BuildGreenCT, Emu Passive, Instituto Latinoamericano Passivhaus, New York Passive House, Passive House Association of Ireland, Passive House Canada, Passive House Institute New Zealand, Passive House Massachusetts, PassivhausMAINE, Passivhaus Trust, Plataforma PEP |
| Others | Some training that earns PHI credit points, offered now and then; watch for it | AIA chapters, the Colorado Green Building Guild, and NESEA (the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association) |
| Everything approved | PHI’s full lists, with each event’s ID and points | For designers; for tradespeople |
On-demand sessions from PHN
Watch any time. Each is a recorded session approved by PHI.
| Session | Counts for | PHI ID | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Dark Side of a Bright Future | CPHD/C and CPHT, one point; AIA, 1 LU | V276_2026_US | $1.99 |
| Passive House & Resilient Design in the Face of Fire | CPHD/C and CPHT, one point; AIA, 1 LU | V104_2024_US | $1.99 |
| Multifamily Ventilation Duct Leakage: Targets, Strategies, and Lessons Learned | CPHD/C and CPHT, one point; AIA, 1 LU | V060_2024_US | $1.99 |
| Passive House Certification Tips from a Passive House Certifier | CPHD/C and CPHT, one point; AIA, 1 LU | V103_2024_US | $1.99 |
| Emu Report on Energy Standards: California Results | CPHD/C and CPHT, one point; AIA, 1 LU | V307_2023_US | $1.99 |
Host an event that earns credit points
Offering PHI credit points makes a course or event worth more to the designers and tradespeople who attend. PHI reviews each one, and only its Passive House content earns points. It should build on what the CPHD and CPHT courses teach, with specialized knowledge such as:
- case studies of specific applications
- enclosures or mechanical systems
- project process and quality assurance
- design and construction economics
- codes, regulations, and incentives
- energy modeling
Apply with PHI’s Request for PHI Credit Points form. It asks for the host, event name, place (online counts), kind of event, length, and whether it’s for CPHD, CPHT, or both. On its third page, upload a description; for a single talk, what you’d send the AIA is usually enough. Tradesperson events can be approved after they’ve happened. Once approved, PHI lists the event with its ID in its directories.
Resources
| Resource | From | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Designer/Consultant regulations | PHI, valid January 2025 | Renewal, §5; fees, §8 and Appendix IV |
| Tradesperson regulations | PHI, valid March 2020 | Renewal, §3 |
| Forms and fees | PHI | Renewal applications, documentation forms, and fee schedules for both |
| Renewing through credit points | PHI FAQ | The steps in your PHI account |
| If your certificate has expired | PHI FAQ | Renewing after expiry |
| Assessing bodies for designers | PHI | Where to submit a project documentation |
| Assessing bodies for tradespeople | PHI | Where to submit a trades documentation |
| Find a designer or consultant (map) | PHI | Everyone whose certificate is current |
| Find a tradesperson (map) | PHI | Everyone whose certificate is current |
Questions about renewal or PHN’s courses: training@passivehousenetwork.org.
Checked October 2026. PHI’s regulations govern; the rules above quote them.
