Three Types of Filters that Help your Zehnder HRV to Keep Indoor Air Clean

From the moment outside air enters the system, a Zehnder system (and its filters) are designed to keep air contaminants from entering your home, while efficiently recovering heat (or cooling) from the air exiting your home. Do you know every level of filtration available to you for your Zehnder recovery ventilator? If you’ve recently installed one of these units, or purchased a house that included one already, you hopefully know…


Highly Efficient and Very Impressive | Passive House Award 2021

Darmstadt, Germany. The winners of the Passive House Award 2021 will be announced this Friday. The jury of the international architecture competition has already selected 20 finalists. Within the framework of the 25th International Passive House Conference, the Passive House Institute will present a total of 14 awards to the architects of the highly efficient and impressive buildings. The awards ceremony will take place at the Historic City Hall in the…


The Net Zero Conference 2021 | Virtual + Los Angeles

The Net Zero Conference is back, and Passive House California (PHCA) is proud to announce that we’re an official Conference Partner! Join leaders in sustainability for the 8th annual conference and expo—the largest in the world dedicated to net zero, decarbonization, and climate resilience. This year, they're expanding their focus areas to create synergistic learning opportunities across industries. In addition to highlighting sustainability trends in buildings, energy, water, waste, and…


EpiPHany Corner | The Audubon Society Supports Wind Energy

This month’s EpiPHany Corner, while not directly related to Passive House, does provide some relevant insights associated with the production of renewable energy — specifically, the misinformation regarding the significance of bird deaths from wind turbines. The fact that the misinformation is largely funded by the fossil fuel industry is not an epiphany. Indeed, a significant number of birds are lost to collisions with turbine blades, but research into causes…



Passive House is an International Building Standard

Passive House is an International building standard that is calculated through a software program that is strictly for the climate zone you are planning on building in. The PH Standards focus on 5 basic principles. Un-interrupted Continuous Insulation around the Whole Building Envelope Airtight Building Envelope Thermal Bridge Free Really good windows with proper U factors and Solar Heat Gain Coefficients Balanced Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery Once I learned…



PHPP vs. Title 24 – Windows

The most thermally-inefficient parts of a high-performance residential building are the windows. The insulating values are usually in the range of R-3/inch (typical) to R-10/inch (very high-quality). When compared to typical wall insulation of R-21/inch, thermal movement is going to take the path of least resistance—the windows. Even more importantly, if you want to realistically understand how a building component performs, you need to accurately evaluate it. Passive House windows…


EpiPHany Corner | PH Envelope Elevates the Impact of other Efficiency Measures

Passive House protocols, when applied to the design and construction of a building, will dramatically reduce the energy required for heating and cooling. This reduced energy for heating and cooling lowers the overall energy use significantly. As a result, the amount of energy used for water heating, lighting, refrigeration, appliances/electronics (plug loads) become more impactful and more important to manage. Consider the example below.  The Pie Chart on the left…



Press Release | Passive House Meets Social Goals

Darmstadt, Germany. The United Nations set 17 Sustainable Development Goals to be reached by 2030. Envisioned as a ‘‘blueprint to achieve a better and a more sustainable future for all’’, the goals cover a wide array of fields and topics. With a new article and accompanying infographic, the International Passive House Association illustrates how highly energy efficient buildings built to the Passive House standard play a direct role in achieving…


INTERNATIONAL PASSIVE HOUSE OPEN DAYS – Passsive House Los Angeles

The International Passive House Open Days are a great opportunity to learn about Passive House buildings in your area. PARAVANT Architects is hosting an informal virtual open house Questions & Answers ZOOM meeting on Saturday June 26th, 2021 from 10:30 - 12:00pm. Do you have questions -  join any time the conversation with Architect Christian Kienapfel ! CLICK HERE to see pictures and detailed information about our Los Angeles Passive…