Passive House spreads fastest where policymakers and practitioners work together: that was the finding of our 2019 Policy Resource Guide, and it still shapes our work. Here are the codes, incentives, and research that bring Passive House into policy, and resources for anyone advocating for it.
On this page: Where Passive House stands in policy · Our policy research · Advocate for Passive House · Talks and recordings
Where Passive House stands in policy
- Building Codes: Codes in six states and the District of Columbia accept certification to the Passive House Institute (PHI) standard as a way to comply, and Massachusetts requires Passive House for large multifamily buildings in 60 municipalities. Two cities and one state use it in zoning, and in Canada, British Columbia names PHI in its building code.
- Building Financial Incentives: Utilities, housing finance agencies, and lenders across the United States write certification to the Passive House Institute (PHI) standard into their programs. Eleven utility and public programs pay incentives for certified buildings, 14 state housing finance agencies recognize it in their tax-credit plans, and Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and two C-PACE programs recognize it in lending.
- Training Financial Incentives: PHN and 13 sponsors in seven states help pay for Passive House training. State, city, and utility programs pay from part of the course fee to all of it, and PHN takes money off its CPHD course for students, educators, veterans, nonprofit and public employees, and others, and for firms that enroll several people.
- Certification: how a building is certified to the PHI standard, the proof of performance that codes, funders, and lenders across the United States accept.
Our policy research
Every PHN report, newest first; all reports, including others’, are on the Reports page.
| Year | Report | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Energy Standards Comparison Study, Task 2: Multifamily Residential BuildingsRead online | How Passive House lowers energy use in multifamily buildings across climate zones 1 to 7. |
| 2023 | Energy Standards Comparison Study, Task 1: Methodology and Modeling ParametersRead onlineDownload PDF | The method for comparing Passive House with the codes and standards in use across the US, with RDH Building Science. |
| Stepping Up to Passive: Policies We WantRead onlineDownload PDF | Four steps for adopting Passive House codes, so market confidence, professional skill, and the product supply chain are in place before baseline codes change. | |
| Safe at HomeRead onlineDownload PDF | How all-electric multifamily Passive House buildings deliver climate resilience, with cost analysis showing they can be built at or near the cost of conventional buildings. | |
| 2022 | Policy That WorksRead onlineDownload PDF | Which Passive House policies are in place across North America, how they work, and which succeed. |
| 2021 | Is Cost the Barrier to Passive House Performance?Read onlineDownload PDF | First costs for sixteen multifamily buildings, by Bronwyn Barry. |
| 2019 | Policy Resource GuideRead onlineDownload PDF | Experts on the programs that have done most to accelerate Passive House adoption. |
Advocate for Passive House
Codes and incentives change because people ask for them. Advocacy gathers what helps: our research in brief, lessons from a policy fight in Minneapolis, examples of code language, and a model legislative agenda.
Talks and recordings
Policy Videos collects our conference and webinar sessions on policy, from Vancouver and New York State to electrification and building performance standards. More are in the Video Library, under Codes & Policy.
Working on Passive House policy where you are? Tell us at info@passivehousenetwork.org.
