Description

Overview: Passive House should hit its full potential. Enhanced commissioning and embodied carbon goals are two ways to meet the mark.

Operationalizing PHPP as a Day-One Digital Twin for Equitable Performance

Presented by Matthew Bowers, Auros Group

Despite the rigor of Passive House certification, a “performance gap” can emerge due to errors in system installation and commissioning. Yet we can identify these problems and resolve them in real time at the start, bridging the gap between predicted design and actual operation, by transforming the PHPP into a dynamic diagnostic tool. A shadow operational-ready commissioning PHPP can use actual meteorological year data, real-time metered data, and utility bills, while mapping electrical and PER sheets. It allows property managers to troubleshoot issues before they become systemic and provides a feedback loop for designers to refine future models.

1.25 AIA & 1 PHI CEUs

Moderated by Marine Sanchez, RDH Building Science

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the technical workflow for transforming a design-phase PHPP into an Operational Digital Twin, integrating localized IoT sub-metering data with the Electricity and PER sheets to monitor real-time performance.
2. Organize Actual Meteorological Year (AMY) data into existing PHPP climate files to distinguish between weather-driven energy spikes and envelope or mechanical failures, closing the “performance gap.”
3. Apply the “Shadow Model” workflow to the first 30 days of a building’s life, using an independent data layer to detect system drift, installation errors, and plug-load discrepancies before they become systemic issues.
4. Describe how a “Living PHPP” serves as a lifelong performance guarantee, ensuring that Passive House benefits—such as thermal comfort and energy resilience—are reliably delivered to residents in affordable housing and marginalized communities.