Our Year in Review

From the devastating fires of Los Angeles to the reckless dismantling of federal support for sustainability and equity programs, and more, 2025 was a challenging year for many, making the resilience, commitment, and actions of our Passive House community all the more significant. The work of a dedicated community to push for better buildings, communities, and policies centers us and inspires us to create the world we want to see. Let’s celebrate that with a look back at 2025.

From Ashes to Awards

The conflagration of the Eaton and Palisades Fires began the year, shocking us all. Our previous experience as a community in the aftermath of the Marshall Fire in Colorado helped us rally to help. We kicked off a months-long California Rebuilds Design Competition and prioritized community outreach to inform, challenge, and inspire professionals and homeowners to rebuild with greater resilience. We received nearly 50 entries and were proud to name nine exceptional winners during our Awards Ceremony at the AIA Los Angeles Center for Communities in November. Along the way, the Climate Disaster Support Committee built out our Climate Disaster Resource Library, and a Los Angeles Blue Ribbon Commission on Climate Action and Fire-Safe Recovery issued a report identifying Passive House as a critical strategy in rebuilding for resilience. It’s been an incredible year of outreach and education, yet we know we’ve only begun to scratch the surface. Check back next month for our catalog on the competition.

Community of Culture Change

Our community is the backbone of our mission, and our Chapters are the center of our local initiatives across the country. Passive House California’s support for fire rebuilds, Passive House Minnesota’s Thermal Bridge Demonstration, and the emergence of new chapters in the Midwest and Northeast were particular highlights this year. Our 11 Chapters held almost one hundred meetings, driven by 48 Chapter Leaders, with almost 2,000 attendees, and featured hours of PHI & AIA credited content. With their help, we engaged our almost 500-person-strong membership, connecting and sharing experiences of driving change across the country and world.

Our Mentorship Program for CPHD/C alumni paired recent graduates with more experienced colleagues, and grew to 50 participants this year, making deeper and lasting connections.

We also established a Manufacturers’ Directory, for an easy scan of ecosystem suppliers. Stay tuned for a consultant, builder and certifier directory.

Demonstrating in your Community

This year, local concerns turned into local action. We teamed up with AIA Cincinnati to demonstrate how concerns about resilience and energy costs can be addressed with Passive House during the Ice Box Challenge there. After a sweltering late summer season, the code box ran out of ice four days early. Meanwhile, the Passive House box still held 345 lbs.!

International Passive House Open Days came back during the early November chill. This year, 15 locations across the U.S. opened their doors and invited local communities to experience Passive House first-hand. No matter which Passive House you visited, you were sure to be comfy!

Policy Wins

We saw some great policy wins this year, particularly on the West Coast. Thanks to Rob Harrison’s tireless advocacy, Passive House is easier than ever to implement in Washington State. Meanwhile, AB 368 was passed into law in California, thanks to a coordinated effort between the volunteers of Passive House California, Climate Action California, and USGBC-CA. The law directs the California Energy Commission to study Passive House standards by climate zone, using California’s long-term system cost metric, and to report its findings by July 2028

Education Underpins Everything

Making high quality Passive House education accessible, flexible and affordable is our north star. From dozens of well-attended live-online and on-demand Specialized Courses to over 250 students participating in the hybrid Certified Passive House Designer Course, we are changing conversations and expectations.

In a determined effort to increase accessibility we are thankful to offer a range of financial incentives for training. This includes support for veterans, educators, non-profit workers, seniors and a specific program for our BIPOC colleagues.

Community is Key

Looking back and looking forward, the irreducible fact is that it’s you and your Passive House colleagues who are making things happen, supporting each other and fighting for a more just and resilient future for everyone. How glad we are to be doing this work with you.

Turning to 2026

We look forward to being in touch in the new year, as plans already include:

  • A PHN 2026 Conference June 4-5. Have you saved the date? More details coming January 6.
  • The California Rebuilds Design Competition Catalog will debut in January.
  • Our next Certified Passive House Designer Training kicks off on January 15th.
  • The next installment of our Energy Standards Report is coming soon.
  • And so much more!

We are thankful. See you in 2026. Happy New Year!

PHN Staff