Certification for Passive House buildings, consultants, and products is available. Certifications and certifying organizations are described below.
Certification Categories

Building Certification:

Passive House Institute (PHI)

Certified Passive House
Passive House certification is based on demonstration of compliance with the building design, construction, and energy performance standards established by the Passive House Institute. Residential and non-residential Passive House performance requirements include:
Maximum annual space heating demand: 4.75 kBTU/(ft2yr) or Peak heating load: 3.17 BTU/ft2hr
Maximum specific primary energy demand: 38.0 kBTU/(ft2yr)
Minimum airtightness: 0.6 ACH50
Submittals demonstrating compliance are required during design and construction and at project completion. For additional information and submittal requirments, see the links to residential and non-residential requirements, above.

EnerPHit/Quality Approved Energy Retrofit with Passive House Components
EnerPHit is an alternative certification standard reserved for residential retrofit projects. Various compliance options are available. Specific information is available on the PHI website.

Passive House Institute US

PHIUS+ (Trademark)
The PHIUS+ certification performance and submittal requirements are currently similar to those maintained by the PHI for its Quality Assured Passive House designation. Additional information is available on the PHIUS website.

Designer/Consultant Certification:

Passive House Institute
Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC)
The CPHC accreditation offered by the Passive House Institute is similar to the CPHD designation described below; however, the CPHD designation is reserved for those, such as architects and engineers, with specific professional credentials authorizing building design.

Certified Passive House Designer (CPHD)
CPHD is an accreditation offered by the Passive House Institute. It is based on successful completion of a qualifying examination. Examination preparation may be either through participation in a training program or through independent study. Alternatively, CPHD accreditation can be achieved through a submittal process documenting successful design and completion of a PHI certified building project. A qualifying professional background is a prerequisite for CPHD accreditation. See the PHI website for more information.

Passive House Institute US

North American Certified Passive House Consultant (NaCPHC)
The NaCPHC accreditation offered by the Passive House Institute is based on successful completion of a training program and examination. See the PHIUS website for additional information including training program prerequisites.

For upcoming consultant training dates see links to certifying organizations and the APHN Calendar.

Component Certification:

The Passive House Institute provides certification for manufactured high-performance components and products appropriate for use in Passive House and EnerPhit projects, including:
Window frames

Curtain wall systems

Compact heat pump units

Ventilation systems

Rotary heat exchangers

Wall and construction systems

Entrance doors

Glazing

A complete list of PHI certified components can be found at www.passivehouse.com. Select the ‘Certification’ tab at the bottom of the home page, then select the ‘Certified Products’ link in the left margin.

Certifying Organizations

Passive House Institute (PHI)
Based in Darmstadt, Germany, the PHI was founded in 1996. The PHI develops and maintains Passive House certification standards for design consultants (Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant), new buildings (Quality Approved Passive House), retrofitted residential buildings (EnerPHit/Quality Approved Energy Retrofit with Passive House Components), Passive House building components, and thermal bridge reduced construction.

Contact Information:

Dr. Wolfgang Feist
Rheinstr. 44/46
D-64283 Darmstadt
Germany

Tel: +49 (0)6151-82699-0

mail@passiv.de

www.passivehouse.com

The PHI authorizes other certifying agencies internationally. PHI accredited certifiers active in North America include:

Building Research Establishment (BRE) (Passive House buildings) www.passivhaus.org.uk

PHA_logoPassive House Academy (PHA)
(Passive House buildings /EnerPHit retrofits)
www.passivehouseacademy.com / www.mosart.ie

Andrew Peel works as an independent certifier in collaboration with the Canadian Passive House Institute and can be reached via www.passivehouse.ca

Other PHI authorized certifiers: can be found on the PHI database here.

NOTE: All accredited certifiers can certify in the US.

Passive House Institute US (PHIUS)
Based in Urbana, Illinois, PHIUS was founded in 2007. PHIUS is an independent certifying agency and is not affiliated with the Passive House Institute. It maintains its own standards for certification of design consultants (North American Certified Passive House Consultant), and buildings (PHIUS+). PHIUS+ is a registered trademark.

Contact Information:

110 S. Race St.
Suite 202
Urbana, Illinois 61801
USA

Tel: (217)-344-1294

info@passivehouse.us

www.passivehouse.us