Passive House: Enhancing Air Conditioning Performance (and more), Without Forcing Change | by Brian Pearson & Susan Diana Harris

I had a hand in writing an article promoting Passive House and the legislative effort we are making to get it into the CA code: California can fast-track a guideline that reliably reduces heating and cooling energy demand up to 70% below the current Title-24 baseline: Passive House. Together, we can put this climate resilience standard onto builders’ and owners’ radar, simply by adding a voluntary Passive House alternate pathway into…


Passive House | Project Tour

“Passive House SB9 & ADUs in CA’s Milder Climates” marked the first in-person Passive House California home tour in West Los Angeles, held in May 2024. Visitors had the unique opportunity to explore an all electric small-scale Passive House Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) and a Single-Family Residence under SB9, both under construction in Los Angeles and designed by PARAVANT Architects. During the tour, attendees observed the installation of dense pack…




PHN Education Fellowship for Black Architects & Recent Graduates

Representation matters - Apply today to unlock exclusive benefits, training, mentorship, & more. PHN has established the PHN Passive House Education Fellowship. PHN invites all Black architects and engineers who have a commitment to sustainable building to apply and participate. Participants will receive a 50% discount on PHN’s Certified Passive House Designer (CPHD) course price, inclusive of exam + 1-year NAPHN Membership. In addition, NAPHN will actively mentor and connect…


2024 Call for Passive House California Board Membership

Passive House California is guided by a Board of Directors. Our bylaws allow for five (5) to eleven (11) board members with two-year-long terms. Our annual elections, open to current PHCA members in good standing, are held in January to fill any open seats. For more information see our bylaws. There is no limit to the number of eligible candidates that may nominate themselves for a seat. The newly elected…


Passive House Tradesperson Course (CPHT)

It's been awhile since I've set foot in a classroom but the 4.5 day EMU Passive House Tradesperson Certification course wasn't all textbooks and memorization. We were able to put the principles we were learning about in the lecture into practice with hands-on modeling. Friendly competition challenged our team to build air sealed and well insulated mock ups that were tested for effective construction overnight. Team Chipmunk (our team) came…


Passive House Tradesperson (CPHT) Training in Santa Barbara

It's beyond my expectations to say the least. Initially I was debating between LEED BD+C certification or Passive House Tradesperson Certification (CPHT) and I'm glad I made the right choice. The biggest fear as builders is that can we realistically take what we learned and apply it to our project? Can the materials be cost efficient and acceptable to the homeowners? Oftentimes, various on-site challenges require us to rely on…


How Buildings Are Key To Fighting Climate Change

In this video, we dive into the pivotal role buildings play in the battle against climate change. Buildings, as they stand, are both victims and culprits in the climate crisis, being poorly equipped to handle climate impacts and also being massive contributors to carbon emissions. Provided by The Passive House Accelerator. The four steps are sequential in the actual construction or renovation of a building, but the reality is that…


We need your help to Advocate for Passive House | City of Berkeley Residents

City of Berkeley is hosting a meeting to consider adding other 'green certifications' to the list of those required to be met by all City of Berkeley owned buildings. Currently it's LEED Silver only. The proposal is to do a study for which other standards to include. If you are a Passive House supporter and resident in the City of Berkeley please consider attending the meeting on Wednesday September 27th…


Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant (CPHD/C) training, Santa Barbara

On June 26 - 30, the Tri-County Regional Energy Network (3C-REN), in collaboration with the Passive House Network, hosted a five-day in-person Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant (CPHD/C) training at Santa Barbara Community College. Situation on a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the LEED Platinum classroom building was a perfect location for discussing Passive house concepts. 14 students completed the week. All indicated that they plan to take the CPHD/C exam…


CALIFORNIA MCM RE-ENVISIONED: PH IN WARM CLIMATES

Our May Project Showcase presentation by Graham Irwin will explore the remodel and Passive House retrofit of a Mid Century Modern home in Sunnyvale, California. The project leveraged a decade of Passive House best practices and detail development in California, along with numerous high-value architectural approaches. The formerly cramped, uncomfortable, dark, and noisy home is now filled with glare-free daylight, connected with the landscape, and constructed to meet the world’s…