Assemblymember Ward Introduces AB 368 to Advance Passive House Standards for More Cost-Effective Energy Efficiency

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Assemblymember Chris Ward (D-San Diego) introduced AB 368, a bill directing the California Energy Commission (CEC) to evaluate the adoption of certified Passive House (PH) energy efficiency standards as an alternative compliance pathway under Title 24 building regulations. With California facing intensifying wildfires, droughts, and rising sea levels, AB 368 aims to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by promoting energy-efficient construction. Buildings account for 31% of total GHG…


Passive House & Fire Resilience (PHN)

Growing wildfire devastation demands better-protected buildings – better protected by building design and better design of their surrounding landscape. Yet, after fire events, like in Los Angeles, there is a need to rebuild quickly. Just build it back, the thinking goes, but we can do better. Let’s build forward with fire-safe strategies integrated with Passive House building design to drive down our dependence on fossil fuels, protect people’s health, and…


Passive House & Fire Resilience (PHN)

Growing wildfire devastation demands better-protected buildings – better protected by building design and better design of their surrounding landscape. Yet, after fire events, like in Los Angeles, there is a need to rebuild quickly. Just build it back, the thinking goes, but we can do better. Let’s build forward with fire-safe strategies integrated with Passive House building design to drive down our dependence on fossil fuels, protect people’s health, and…


Multifamily Passive House Design (presented by PG&E)

Passive House delivers healthy, quiet, and comfortable homes in durable buildings. Passive House also provides a baseline on which teams can craft resilient buildings capable of sheltering residents from storms and heat waves to come. In this course, we'll cover a range of issues that go into planning, designing, and constructing affordable Passive House multifamily buildings.  It's a comprehensive overview, diving into key details, and demystifying the strategies for success.…


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…


INTRODUCTION TO THE PASSIVE HOUSE TRADES – WEBINAR (presented by PG&E)

Course Description The Introduction to Passive House Trades course will broadly cover the following topics: Passive House (PH) basics, review typical construction types, windows and installation, air barriers and insulation and new, innovative PH products. It is crucial when working on Passive House buildings to properly install components, understand how to correctly implement design details and assess and plan for the current and future performance of the building. It can…


“An Epic Challenge” | Community Meeting

"An Epic Challenge" | Apartments That Are Off-Grid and 100% Renewable, Using Vehicle-to-Grid Battery Back-Up, Cost Effective Embodied Carbon Reduction, Passive House Envelope and Power Efficient Appliances Description Redwood Energy (redwoodenergy.net) designed North America’s first Net Positive apartments (2011) and first New Positive subdivision (2014), won the Grand Prize World Habitat Award from the United Nations (2016), and their Managing Principal, Sean Armstrong, was inducted into the California’s Hall of…


“Renovating with Passive House Components” Released

The outPHit consortium recently released a brochure covering essential buildingphysics basics when it comes to retrofitting and showcasing their application through a number of case study projects. The publication especially caters to architects and designers interested in learning more about high-performance renovations done to the EnerPHit standard for retrofits according to Passive House principles. Featuring a variety of architectural details from real-life EnerPHit renovations, the brochure serves as both an educational…


Zero Emissions Buildings as the Framework for our Future

What do Zero Emissions Buildings look like? The Department of Energy has just finalized an official definition. The new guidance outlines three pillars of a Zero Emissions Building: energy efficient, free of onsite emissions from energy use, and powered solely from clean energy. The definition includes different compliance options for new and existing buildings, but in either case requires zero onsite emissions (with an exception for emergency backup in case…


Unpacking the promise of the Passive House Standard (presented by Climate Action California)

Join this presentation to learn out about the Passive House Standard (PHS) — the top-tier standard for energy-smart and climate-resilient buildings. Buildings constructed according to the PHS are energy-efficient, draft-free, and smoke-tight. Year-round, they deliver comfortable temperatures, clean air, and greatly reduced energy use (which translates into much lower utility bills). Our Building Decarbonization Team Lead, Rob Haw, will give you a thorough introduction to the Passive House, including its…


The latest issue of PASSIVE HOUSE + Magazine

Passive House Plus (Sustainable Building) is the world's first English language magazine focused on building and upgrading to the world's leading low energy standard - passive house (or Passivhaus if you prefer). Published in separate UK and Irish editions, the magazine's focus extends beyond energy efficiency into sustainable building more generally, taking in indoor air quality, water usage and the environmental impact of materials. READ THE MOST RECENT ONLINE EDITION


Passive House SB9 & ADUs in CA’s Milder Climates

Passive House design is becoming increasingly popular in Southern California due to its focus on energy efficiency, making it a leading example of high-performance design and construction in the region. Passive House protocols provide homeowners improved comfort, indoor air quality, and resilience to extreme weather, fires, smoke, and power outages, as well as a more durable home that consumes less energy. Join us to discover the implications of California's SB9…