Passive House and All-Electric Homes Learning Center

This virtual workshop on air-tightness testing in buildings was conducted remotely by experts from Retrotec in a building air tightness testing simulator. They cover the equipment and software needed to conduct a whole building air tightness test where more than one fan is needed. Topics include test planning, building preparation, equipment set-up, software overviews, and troubleshooting. Live Q&A/discussion included.    Read more

Presented by Mike Woolsey, Certified Passive House Designer and building systems expert at Swegon North America.  Passive House buildings are intended to be energy-efficient and comfortable. Comfort is often given lower priority, resulting in end-user complaints. This course explores the use of the so-called Boost Mode to provide on-demand occupant control. Read more

This hour-long course discusses the design of ventilation systems for large and/or mulitfamily Passive House buildings. Topics include ventilation rates and requirements, HRV and ERV selection, humidity and moisture management, central vs unitized location considerations, and filters/air-quality improvement.  Presented by Josephine Zurica, P.E., CPHC, Principle at Dagher Engineering.  This is a recorded from a live virtual session - audience Q&A/discussion is included. Read more

Passive Houses are built 8 to 10 times more airtight than a typical code-level building. As a result, less moisture transfer occurs through the exterior wall assembly via air leakage through the façade. This can lead to high interior relative humidity levels and pose increased risk of condensation on the building structure. The primary means of controlling humidity levels in a Passive House is through the ventilation and heating & cooling systems. This talk will outline an example of how this risk was assessed for a current PH project and will detail what design options are available to reduce this risk. The presentation will be multifamily focused. Presented by Dylan Martello, CPHD, Senior Building Systems Consultant, Steven Winter Associates Read more

From minimizing refrigerant to integrating water loops, the next-generation of HVAC solutions for larger buildings is now here. This course covers an overview of design approaches with VRF equipment that is aimed towards reducing the amount of refrigerant in occupied spaces. We will review how Mitsubishi HEX coils can bring a building’s water loop infrastructure onto the VRF platform, as well as advancements in refrigerant-to-water products in the next generation of VRF equipment: Hybrid VRF – which eliminates refrigerant downstream of the branch circuit controller – and the upcoming QAHV – a domestic hot water heat pump system. Presenters: Julie Klump, VP of Design and Building Performance at Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) Michael Ragan, Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC engineer and VRF specialist Read more

The path to Passive House certification ensures the topmost quality and building performance for both new construction and retrofits. This presentation demystifies the process by introducing key players, mapping critical milestones and reviewing concepts and tools that come up along the way. Recorded from live session in August, 2020, Q&A included.   About the presenter: John Loercher is a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), serves on the board for the Passive House Alliance US and is a Certified CPHC trainer. He brings experience from over two dozen certified Passive House projects including Residential, Mulitfamily, Commercial, New Construction and Retrofits.  Read more