The UK Passivhaus Conference 2024 took place in Oxford in September 2024 to explore “The role of Passivhaus in net zero neighbourhoods”.

Passivhaus certification requires a Summer Comfort Statement, signed by the building owner, detailing the thermal comfort strategy, design assumptions, overheating risks, and stress testing. This template supports certification, accommodating buildings with active cooling by presenting expected cooling results.

The Passivhaus Trust and UK Certifiers Circle advise including an MVHR Maintenance Statement in certification documents. Signed by the client, it outlines maintenance requirements, confirming understanding for UK projects seeking Passivhaus certification.

Explore PHI Passivhaus criteria for energy-efficient, affordable, and comfortable buildings. This guidance offers practical insights into sustainable design, rigorous certification, and optimizing energy performance. Enhance living conditions and support a greener future with Passive House principles.

As the adoption of Passivhaus continues to grow in the UK, we are watching more sizeable projects emerge with increasing complexities that bring new challenges. This on-demand mini-series covers some exciting, detailed case studies & the latest research on large & complex Passivhaus.

PHT costs & benefits guidance shows that innovation costs associated with early Passivhaus projects are now reducing as the methodology has become more widely adopted. Costs are expected to fall further once the Standard is adopted at scale.

Each of the key chapters in Passivhaus Benefits is underpinned by detailed supplementary research, to be published in three supporting papers. The first of these, Health, Wellbeing and People Performance, is available to download now.

To obtain a clearer picture of Passivhaus costs in the UK, AECOM, in conjunction with the Passivhaus Trust, has undertaken a research study into the capital cost of building to certified Passivhaus standards across a number of affordable housing projects in the UK, using a standardised cost tool to compare projects on a like for like basis.

The integration of a steel frame for Passivhaus brings unique challenges. This paper draws on knowledge gained from the first steel frame Passivhaus projects in the UK to offer applied guidance and a best practice approach to high performance and Passivhaus steel buildings.

Learn about airtesting high-rise blocks, choosing MVHR systems for 100+ home developments, and bespoke non-domestic settings. We offer in-depth case studies and topic-focused sessions, led by expert practitioners.

How to Build a Passivhaus: Good Practice Guide covers the essential topics that are key to successfully delivering a Passivhaus project. It reflects the most recent evolution of best practice approaches to designing and building to the Passivhaus and EnerPHit standards.

A new tool to help streamline RIBA Plan of Work processes to optimise the delivery of Passivhaus projects, has just been launched.

Explore the relationship between Passivhaus and embodied carbon. Get access to the on-demand recording of the popular webinar to learn more about the Trust’s Embodied Carbon paper, followed by engaging presentations from key experts. It is an excellent opportunity to learn first-hand from industry practitioners as they share real-life case studies and valuable lessons learnt.

Discover how to minimise thermal bypass risks during design and construction in this detailed technical review.

The Passivhaus community is increasingly acknowledging and focusing on the issue of material choices and resource efficiency, demonstrated by the development of several carbon counting tools, including the embodied carbon PHribbon plug-in for PHPP.

Often considered primarily as the exemplar standard for producing high-performance buildings, Passivhaus does indeed minimise energy demand, but it delivers much more. Passivhaus can slash building heating demand by 90% without compromising our health & wellbeing.

We often take ventilation for granted; most buildings in the UK rely on draughts and leaks! Continuous fresh air & eliminating cold draughts is a key comfort factor for Passivhaus buildings. Often the steepest learning curve is reaching the airtightness target. Breathe easy with this new good practice guide.

This six-part online course will lead you to an understanding of the fundamentals of the Passivhaus standard and how it can help deliver healthy, comfortable buildings as well as achieve pressing net zero targets.

Whether you are a local authority/social housing provider, new to the standard or already involved in a Passivhaus project, get advice from experienced clients and their advisors who have delivered multiple Passivhaus projects.

Recent summer heatwaves and a heating climate have made us more aware than ever that the risk of overheating in both new and existing buildings demands attention. The Passivhaus Trust has developed detailed guidance accompanied by a PHPP plugin to address this risk.

Explore the optimal timing and strategy for installing air source heat pumps (ASHPs) in retrofit projects. It examines the impact of ASHP installation during various fabric improvement stages using modeling and PHPP to estimate energy demand and running costs, aiding informed decisions for efficient retrofit planning.

This guide highlights significant synergies between the priorities of social housing providers and the multi-faceted benefits of successfully building and delivering Passivhaus homes. The aim is to explain why social housing providers should be aiming for Passivhaus and how to successfully implement the Standard.

The need for this Quality Assurance guide has arisen from the rapid growth of the Passivhaus Standard within the UK and the recognition that with the increased volume, scale and complexity of building projects, that it takes an increasingly well structured quality assurance system to maintain the required standards of design and construction.

The Passivhaus Goes Personal campaign is aimed at anyone contemplating building their own home. Discover why building to Passivhaus is good for you!

The Passivhaus Trust has been working with Rachel Mitchell, Bath University and WARM to analyse the performance of a number of certified Passivhaus dwellings in the UK.

Are you getting the most out of your insulation? Passivhaus buildings are renown for eliminating the performance gap and insulation is crucial to the fabric first approach. This guide provides insight into good practice for designing, procuring, storing and installing insulation materials.

This document with ATTMA provides the technical standard to be followed for the air tightness testing of Passivhaus and other low energy buildings as required as part of a Passivhaus or low energy building design.

A good practice guide to MVHR, written by Dr Mich Swainson, Sally Godber & Andrew Farr, and peer reviewed by Kym Mead, Rupert Kazlauciunas, Nick Grant, Alan Clarke, Alex Baines, Jon Bootland and Mark Siddall.

PHT costs & benefits guidance shows that innovation costs associated with early Passivhaus projects are now reducing as the methodology has become more widely adopted. Costs are expected to fall further once the Standard is adopted at scale.

The Passivhaus Trust has previously published detailed guidance on Passivhaus and zero carbon and Passivhaus and retrofit. These four-page primers will give you a quick but comprehensive overview of the issues covered.

The Passivhaus Trust has previously published detailed guidance on Passivhaus and zero carbon and Passivhaus and retrofit. These four-page primers will give you a quick but comprehensive overview of the issues covered.

A widely adopted rule-of-thumb suggests that MVHR systems are only effective in more airtight buildings. This paper seeks to challenge this convention and suggests that MVHR systems are, in fact, desirable in nearly all domestic situations, either new-build or retrofit.

The Passivhaus community is increasingly acknowledging and focusing on the issue of material choices and resource efficiency, demonstrated by the development of several carbon counting tools, including the embodied carbon PHribbon plug-in for PHPP.

This series is for anyone interested in designing and delivering Passivhaus retrofit. Learn from expert practitioners to enrich your practical and technical knowledge about EnerPHit, the Passivhaus retrofit standard, and how to apply it to your projects.

This short guidance note gives a comprehensive overview of the considerations that must be factored in when designing and specifying an air-to-water heat pump system.

The Managing Moisture on-demand course explores moisture-safe retrofitting for energy efficiency. Learn to prevent moisture issues in building fabric and structure while retrofitting. Gain expert insights and advanced knowledge in moisture management for safer, healthier buildings. Ideal for professionals seeking to enhance retrofit practices.

This paper sets out why EnerPHit must form an essential part of our national Zero Carbon ambitions and advises how to develop an appropriate retrofit plan comparing different standards and guidance.

This paper examines Zero Carbon building definitions and strategies for achieving true emissions reductions. It compares notional building regulations Zero Carbon designs with Passivhaus Classic and renewables, offering insights into meeting Zero Carbon targets for new housing effectively.

The Passivhaus Trust has previously published detailed guidance on Passivhaus and zero carbon and Passivhaus and retrofit. These four-page primers will give you a quick but comprehensive overview of the issues covered.

The Passivhaus Trust has developed guidance accompanied by a PHPP plugin to calculate more representative monthly average internal temperatures for existing buildings and an overall average for the heating season. These temperatures can then be used in the PHPP heating demand calculation to achieve a more accurate indication of energy demand.

This paper provides guidance on quality assurance measures that are required to meet the Passivhaus Standard in the UK.

Discover the similarities between EnerPHit and PAS 2035/2030 and how the two standards complement one another in this new technical paper authored by PHT member QODA’s Dr Sarah Price.

This position paper responds to the report ‘Ready for Zero: Evidence to inform the 2025 Future Homes Standard – Task Group Report’ by the Future Homes Hub. It addresses modelling inacurracies and puts forward four key recommendations for consideration.

For multi-residential or non-residential buildings the Passivhaus Certifier may require dynamic thermal modelling to adequately evaluate summer comfort and overheating risk. This guidance from the UK Certifiers’ Circle aims to establish a common approach to modelling, reporting and user handover in these scenarios.

PHPP is a proven tool for assessing overheating risk. It has already been deemed to satisfy Part O of the Building Regulations (England & Wales) by several Building Control services, and should be accepted as an alternative means of compliance in place of the ‘simplified method’ and the ‘dynamic method’ for single-family dwellings and simple building forms.

This paper serves as a starting point for discussions and agreements between project teams and certification bodies regarding roles, responsibilities, and expectations for achieving Passivhaus certification. The scope of services it presents is designed to be adaptable and applicable to various project types and scales.

This paper introduces the challenges around moisture risk to borne in mind when tackling any retrofit project, and is essential reading for designers, as well as clients who are looking to inform themselves of the key issues and factors that will influence the project.

Modelling undertaken by the Passivhaus Trust demonstrates that an all-electric certified Passivhaus Classic performs better than both options proposed for the Future Homes Standard (FHS) in the 2024 consultation, as well as providing many other benefits.

There is an urgent imperative to decarbonise home heating, but we also need better housing that is more comfortable, healthier and cheaper to run. How do we enable heat pumps and fabric to work in synergy to maximum effect? This paper aims to answer the question by modelling heat pump installation at different levels of home retrofit.

This guidance note from the UK Certifiers’ Circle provides answers to frequently asked questions about what PER is, how it relates to other metrics used in the UK, under what circumstances a bespoke PER criterion might apply, and how to check if it does.

This document provides comprehensive guidance on the maintenance and management of individual Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) units in multi-residential developments.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about the UK’s first Passivhaus-certified Extra Care facility, with a deep dive into Edward’s Court. Benefit from real-life examples and expert guidance from PHT Patron Architype. Learn how to overcome technical challenges in large and complex care homes while ensuring safe, comfortable and healthy housing for residents.

As the adoption of Passivhaus continues to grow in the UK, we are watching more sizeable projects emerge with increasing complexities that bring new challenges. This on-demand mini-series covers some exciting, detailed case studies & the latest research on large & complex Passivhaus.

This course covers MVHR installations, highlighting their benefits in controlling CO2, temperature, and humidity. It addresses common commissioning, maintenance, and handover issues, emphasizing the importance of proper setup and user training. Key concepts include soft landings and ongoing monitoring to ensure system performance, with a strong focus on engaging users to maintain the Passivhaus standard effectively.

Explore the advantages of Passivhaus for superior building performance and comfort in this on-demand course. Understand key principles and certification criteria, enabling effective project planning. Discover how redesigning the process can revolutionize design and delivery. Delve into the pivotal role of PHPP as a design and quality assurance tool throughout construction. Gain invaluable insights to elevate your Passivhaus projects from inception to completion.

The Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) version 10 English (2021) is a design tool produced by the Passivhaus Institut Germany for use by building architects and designers. It works on both Mac and PC.

This webinar accompanies our guidance “Air-to-water heat pumps” which simplifies critical design elements with a special focus on air-to-water heat pumps, shedding light on both common oversights and advanced considerations that can elevate building performance to meet diverse energy standards.

Learn design strategies to reduce the risk of overheating, explore key indicators of the likelihood of risk, and how to use stress tests to make your summer comfort solutions more robust.

Master steel construction strategies and tackle airtightness, thermal bridging, and moisture concerns effectively. Navigate the complexities of fire-related insurance requirements and subcontractor design elements with confidence. By the end of this module, you’ll grasp essential insights into optimising steel construction practices and addressing critical issues, ensuring efficient, safe, and durable building projects.

The Passivhaus standard has now been embraced across various scale and sectors, to widen the impact of energy efficient and sustainable building practices. Lessons learned from large and complex buildings highlight the impact of building size and complexity on the design and construction processes and how the Passivhaus Overlay for the RIBA Plan of Work can be used to facilitate the successful delivery.

Building leisure centres to the Passivhaus standard is estimated to save up to 70% of energy compared to a standard leisure centre. The Passive House Institute delivered a presentation on Passivhaus pool design at the 2022 UK Passivhaus Conference. Get into the details of St. Sidwell’s Point, the UK’s first Passivhaus leisure centre. Learn about exciting new UK leisure centres targeting Passivhaus and design tips for Passivhaus pools.

Camden Council’s Agar Grove is set to be the UK’s largest residential Passivhaus development when it’s completed. This detailed case study introduces some of the challenges and complexities faced with a larger Passivhaus project, and potential solutions.

In the non-domestic retrofit course, participants learn to apply Passivhaus to large multi-residential projects, including various typologies, and establish a fabric-first strategy to achieve net-zero operational carbon. The course covers defining the airtightness layer, extending the thermal envelope, and optimising service locations to enhance performance in non-domestic buildings.

This Passivhaus Retrofit course concentrates on applying Passivhaus principles to large multi-residential projects, stressing streamlining techniques, prefabrication, and EnerPHit certification to align with climate goals. Participants tackle barriers to deep retrofit, harness scale advantages, and manage challenges like diverse tenures and integrating mechanical ventilation heat recovery systems. They also consider the social impacts and future-proofing benefits of EnerPHit in reducing fuel poverty and achieving net-zero goals.

This Passivhaus Retrofit course provides a step-by-step approach to retrofitting, comparing EnerPHit with PAS 2035, offering practical insights from retrofitting a mid-terrace property. It also covers certification requirements for step-by-step EnerPHit, focusing on managing moisture, dust, and mess effectively throughout the retrofit process to improve heating demand and indoor air quality.

In this Passivhaus Retrofit course focused on cavity walls, participants learn about practical retrofit measures, successful retrofit ingredients like energy conservation, and the advantages of external wall insulation. The course also covers the importance of a robust ventilation strategy, addresses moisture sources and risks in cavity walls, and explores challenges and optimisation options for heating systems post-retrofit.

This Passivhaus Retrofit course covers the comparison between EnerPHit, AECB, and LETI standards, emphasizing design fundamentals like airtightness and ventilation strategies, as well as addressing moisture risks and insulation system choices. Participants also learn techniques for detailing junctions with internal wall insulation in heritage buildings to mitigate thermal bridging and manage moisture, along with the critical considerations for window apertures in relation to heritage preservation and energy efficiency.

The principle of fabric first is more than just getting the insulation right – it’s about comfort and longevity too. Find out how and why in this module.

What is Passivhaus certification and how can it be achieved? We’ll answer these questions and look at some real world examples.

Module one explores why there is a need for Passivhaus buildings. We’ll take a look at factors involved in building a Passivhaus and explode some myths.

The benefits of Passivhaus are numerous and far reaching. We’ll explore these benefits and quantify their scale.

This module’s objective is to give an understanding of how Passivhaus buildings are a key component of getting to net zero.

High-level design advice to make Passivhaus easy and affordable. All the advice applies to non-Passivhaus buildings too and will help reduce energy consumption.

This document provides guidance for the industry on how to produce effective User Guidance aimed at non-expert occupants for Passivhaus and low energy buildings