Language can be confusing and the world of Passive House is no exception. So here, with Passive House Definitions, we’re unpacking common Passive House-related words with simple, and hopefully clear, definitions, often with links to further background information. We hope you find it useful.
- a building that fulfills the passive house concept
- a building certified to the Passive House Standard
- a building that meets the performance criteria of the Passive House Standard as measured by the Passive House Planning Package but is not certified
– passive house building – Passive House building
a definition that describes a building for which thermal comfort as per ISO 7730 can be achieved solely by post-heating or post-cooling of the fresh air mass that is required to achieve sufficient indoor air quality conditions without the need for additional recirculation of air see: https://passipedia.org/basics/the_passive_house_-_definition and https://youtu.be/fy9nnso306o
the underlying building design and construction approach that supports achieving the Passive House Standard and the passive house concept as defined by the Passive House Institute, and starts with reducing cooling, dehumidification and heating loads by focusing on fully integrated suitable durable passive building components, such as proper continuous thermal-bridge-free insulation, continuous airtightness, high-performance windows and doors, and ventilation that includes a high-efficiency heat/energy recovery core, carefully calculated, and all integrated with the entire architectural process of design and construction see: https://youtu.be/fy9nnso306o
the underlying building science principles that support the Passive House Standard as defined by the Passive House Institute
see: https://passipedia.org/_detail/picopen/5ph_grundprinzipien_07.png?id=basics
any construction project, whether completed or in progress and whether newly built or in the form of a renovation, for which the Passive House Planning Package, as well as components suitable for use in passive house buildings (including but not limited to Certified Passive House Components), are utilized both in the planning and implementation phases
a set of building performance criteria defined by the Passive House Institute to certify passive house buildings – that results in high levels of energy efficiency, indoor air quality, durable construction, and occupant comfort, and includes three levels of certification Passive House Classic, Passive House Plus and Passive House Premium
see: https://naphnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/9f_180112_phi_building_criteria_en_ip.pdf
a building certified by the Passive House Institute to the Passive House Standard
see: https://naphnetwork.org/resources/certification/buildings/
a person (typically a contractor, builder or tradesperson) that has passed the Certified Passive House Tradesperson exam administered by the Passive House Institute and has maintained the CPHT certification with PHI
see: https://naphnetwork.org/education/tradesperson-training/
a person (typically a designer, real estate professional, or another un-licensed professional that doesn’t take responsibility for the building planning) that has passed the Certified Passive House Designer exam administered by the Passive House Institute and has maintained the Certified Passive House Consultant certification with PHI
Why is there no use of the acronym CPHC? It is because PHIUS has trademarked the letter combination CPHC in this context and has threatened lawsuits in the US against passive house professionals certified by PHI as a Certified Passive House Consultant when they put CPHC after their names.
a person (typically a licensed architect, engineer, or energy consultant or building science consultant that does take responsibility for the building planning) that has passed the Certified Passive House Designer exam administered by the Passive House Institute and has maintained the CPHD certification with PHI see: https://naphnetwork.org/education/overview/
a building retrofit standard defined by the Passive House Institute
see: https://naphnetwork.org/resources/certification/buildings/
- an international association of independent Passive House affiliates operated by the Passive House Institute – of which NAPHN is a member affiliate
- the communications department of the Passive House Institute
