Session · Retrofits and EnerPHit · Designers and consultants · Builders and trades

EnerPHit and Deep Energy Retrofits: A Verifier’s Perspective

Benjamin Cohen, Re-Vireo · August 4, 2026 · Chapter · PHPA (Passive House Pennsylvania)

Lessons from verifying deep energy retrofits in New York City and Pennsylvania: envelope assembly checks, airtightness testing, and HVAC verification, and how they keep field work true to design intent so EnerPHit delivery can scale.

Key points

• How field verification aligns EnerPHit design intent with built performance.
• Common envelope failure points in retrofits, and quality control for them.
• How verification shapes accountability among contractors and designers.
• Lessons from completed retrofits for constructability and scale.

Learning objectives

• Understand how field verification supports alignment between EnerPHit design intent and constructed performance.
• Analyze common envelope assembly failure points in retrofit projects and strategies to improve installation quality control.
• Assess how verification influences accountability among contractors and design teams in high-performance retrofit delivery.
• Describe lessons from completed retrofit projects that may improve constructability and scalability of EnerPHit buildings.

Topics: Quality assurance