Topic

Operations and maintenance

The insulation, the airtight layer, and the windows need no attention, and winter heating holds up whatever the residents do. Residents still make a difference: in Hannover's Kronsberg neighborhood, as in ordinary homes, the heaviest energy users used about twice what the lightest did. But the swing between households was less than half that in a group of ordinary Swedish houses measured the same way.

Residents need to know how the building runs. A good handover gives them a short guide with the full manual and shows them the systems in person; at Kronsberg, each household got a manual of about 60 pages and a laminated one-page summary. Most of what they do is in summer: lowering shades and opening windows at the right times (see summer comfort).

The routine task is changing the ventilation filters, every three to six months, sooner where the outdoor air is dirty. PHI requires that owners can change them without special tools or experience, and good design puts the unit within reach without a ladder. Neglected filters and screens choke the fresh air: in one monitored project, insect screens clogged with leaves cut the supply air to some houses by more than 95% within four months.

The heat pump and hot-water system need ordinary servicing. Airtightness can also degrade: one UK Passive House retrofit leaked more than four times as much after twelve years, mostly through worn door seals.

PHI's certificate covers the building as designed and built, not how it's run, and lapses with a major conversion, a change of use, or altered shading. After handover, maintaining performance is the owner's responsibility.

Training on this topic

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I am A designer or consultant 6 A builder or tradesperson 3 An owner or developer 2 A policymaker or advocate 1

Kind Certification courses 0 Specialized courses 0 Paid sessions 2 Free sessions 4

Building type Single-family 0 Multifamily 1 Non-residential 0

Format On-demand 6 Live online 0 In person 0

Credit AIA LU 2 PHI credit 2 Counts toward CPHD/C renewal 2 Counts toward CPHT renewal 2

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6 courses and sessions