Introduction to Passive House Retrofits: The EnerPHit Standard
2026-07-01 09:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Part 5 of 9
Achieving the Passive House Standard in refurbishments of existing buildings is not always a realistic goal, and the Passive House Institute has developed the EnerPHit standard for certified energy retrofits with Passive House Components. In this webinar, trainers from the Passive House Network will discuss how the EnerPHit standard can accommodate the realities of existing old buildings, where foundations, party lines, historic preservation, cost, and other factors make a typical Passive House certification impossible. Learn how existing structures can benefit from retrofits to move a structure from a low to high performance building. Applying the Passive House Standard to existing structures has its unique challenges. Through case studies of successful retrofits, see how to upgrade a building with respect to airtightness, insulation, thermal bridge reductions, high performance windows, and ventilation, plus learn about the EnerPHit standards and process.
Agenda:

Introduction and safety message
Passive House principles
Building envelope trades
HVAC, plumbing and electrical trades
QA/QC techniques for ensuring success
Q&A

The objective of this course is that at the conclusion, participants will be able to:

Outline the five basic principles of Passive House design and how each principle contributes to the health, safety, and welfare of occupants
Describe why and how hygienic ventilation is an essential defining component of Passive House design and operation. And outline how the Passive House design focuses on very good energy efficiency, which results in side benefits like great occupant thermal and acoustic comfort, improved occupant health outcomes, and economic affordability
Recall the major Passive House tools, PHPP, DesignPH, and Therm, and provide an overview of the tools correlating with data-driven design
Summarize how to get from where the participant is now to constructing a building adhering to the international passive house standard through applicable case studies
Illustrate the data driven design process to help projects meet their comfort, durability, and climate goals

Wildfire Resilience and Passive House
2026-07-08 09:00 - 11:00
Part 6 of 9
With the growing occurrence of devastating wildfires, there’s an imperative to make buildings fire safe and resilient. Passive House can support a clear pathway to achieve these goals. The class will review the latest science on wildfires and building safety, including the interplay among building structure, the surrounding landscape, community, and the Passive House methodology. We will dive into a toolkit with specific steps for analyzing and implementing fire resilient Passive House strategies for your next building project.
Agenda:

Introduction and safety message
Context of fire weather, wildfires, and urban conflagration.
Priorities for building, landscape, and community hardening against wildfire threats
How Passive House characteristics can support fire resilience
Optimization of fire resilience and Passive House goals
Examples

The objective of this course is that at the conclusion, participants will be able to:

Outline the threats that buildings, property, and people face due to the growing frequency of wildfires
Describe critical weaknesses and failures in site and building design that compromise fire resilience
Outline attributes, details, and quality control aspects of Passive House design and construction that support wildfire resilience
Describe code, landscaping, and community strategies for strengthening fire resilience and the opportunities for Passive House to be implemented to enhance effectiveness

Multifamily Passive House Design
2026-07-15 09:00 - 12:00
Part 7 of 9
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 the violent storms and extreme 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.
Agenda:

Introduction and safety message

Multifamily milestones
Critical early design considerations
Ventilation and ventilation systems
Cooling, shading, comfort, and optimization
Enclosure assemblies
Heat pumps and space conditioning strategies
Domestic hot water
Certification process
Q&A

The objective of this course is that at the conclusion, participants will be able to:

Outline common pitfalls in designing Passive House multifamily buildings
Describe critical pathways, processes, and milestones in Passive House multifamily optimization
Recall critical, multifamily components and systems and the sequence of consideration and integration
Summarize how well established strategies are evolving and being successfully scaled

Passive House Enclosures
2026-07-22 09:00 - 11:30
Part 8 of 9
This course dives deep into the focus of building enclosure design and construction looking at a range of enclosure construction types, and climates. The course will look at topics of designing, detailing, sequencing, building, inspection, reporting, and testing of critical Passive House components and enclosure systems: insulation, thermal bridge free connections, airtightness, windows and more.
Agenda:

Introduction and safety message
Context of Passive House
The work of enclosures
Efficient design and high quality
Details
Execution

The objective of this course is that at the conclusion, participants will be able to:

Describe Passive House goals and methodology as they translate to enclosure assemblies
Outline typical Passive House assembly buildups and connection details
Describe Passive House window installation details and testing to hit Passive House goals
Outline quality assurance and quality control measures used to verify enclosure performance and reach certification

Passive House Mechanical Systems
2026-07-29 09:00 - 11:30
Part 9 of 9
This course dives deep into the focus of building mechanical systems with a particular focus on ventilation and hot water systems. Learn about the design and construction of a range of system types. The course will examine ventilation, heating, cooling, and hot water topics of performance specifications, coordination, sequencing, inspection, testing, and reporting.
Agenda:

Introduction and safety message
Context of Passive House and mechanical systems
Systems strategy
Ventilation
Heating and cooling
Domestic hot water (DHW)
Other systems and solar
Case studies

The objective of this course is that at the conclusion, participants will be able to:

Describe Passive House goals and methodology as they translate to mechanical systems
Outline typical Passive House heating, cooling, ventilation and hot water systems, focusing on the pros and cons of choices
Describe Passive House ventilation and hot water installation considerations, and the process to hit Passive House goals
Outline quality assurance and quality control measures used to verify mechanical systems’ performance and reach certification
