Continued Exponential Growth of Climate-Specific, Cost-Optimized Sustainable Building Rating System
CHICAGO, Illinois—The growth of highly energy-efficient buildings certified by the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) continues its trend of year-over-year increases. In the first four months of 2018, new certifications or applications exceeded the 2017 total, as measured by floor area.
The PHIUS+ 2015 Passive Building Standard was released by Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) in 2015 and is the first and only passive building standard based on climate-specific comfort and performance criteria. In the three years since the standard was issued, the cumulative certified space has increased sixfold to almost 2 million across nearly 500 projects.
“This is a noteworthy milestone for anyone who cares about cost, comfort, or climate action. After years of experience both modeling and monitoring projects, we know that passive building works for every building type and every climate zone.,” said PHIUS Executive Director Katrin Klingenberg.
Passive design principles emphasize air tightness, continuous and appropriate insulation, and indoor air quality; properly executed they can dramatically reduce or even eliminate heating and cooling loads. They offer additional benefits in durability, occupant comfort, and resilience during extended power outages.
“As developers, designers, and local officials nationwide the set their sights on net zero energy performance, they’re seeing that PHIUS+ offers a fast, cost-effective route to deep energy savings. We now have the tools and techniques to make the building sector a part of the climate solution instead of the problem,” Klingenberg continued.
To learn more about PHIUS’ technical standard, search certified projects, find a qualified professional, or join the movement for climate responsive, climate resilient design, visit www.phius.org.
About PHIUS
The Passive House Institute US is a national 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to making passive building mainstream.
About PHIUS+
PHIUS+ is internationally applicable and aimed at presenting an affordable solution to achieving the most durable, resilient, and energy-efficient building possible for a specific location. The standard was developed in cooperation with Building Science Corporation under a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building America Grant as a baseline for zero energy buildings.