Passive House Consultant and Passive House Certifier

Renovation Collaborative

The design and construction requirements of the Passive House standard are complex.

If you're an architect or building designer, the learning curve to deliver your first Passive House building is steep.

If you're keen to get involved but struggling to get your first residential or commercial project off the ground, today, you'll find out how a Passive House consultant and a Passive House certifier can help.

I talk to experienced sustainability engineer Luc Plowman, the director of Detail Green in Victoria. Luc shares his extensive knowledge gained from working on residential and commercial Passive House projects all around Australia over the last 10 years.

MORE INFORMATION

Find everything you need on the Renovation Collaborative website.

• PODCAST Key points summary, timestamps, and resource links
• FREE RESOURCES Full transcripts edited into clear Q&A.
• CPD Australian architects can find more information on CPD, and
• COURSES Eleven easy to read courses demystifying the entire home design and construction process.

www.renovationcollaborative.com.au

KEY POINTS SUMMARY

To conclude today, I want to draw your attention to six main points.

1. The market for Passive House in Australia has grown exponentially since about 2015. It's really come on in the past few years as the number of built Passive House projects has increased, enabling more people to experience and understand it.

2. Enerfit is the Passive House tool for renovations. It's more challenging and expensive than new build because you need to replace windows and remove cladding to properly address the requirements, but everything is possible so it's worth investigating feasibility.

3. A Passive House Consultant is particularly helpful for a first time Passive House team. They do the Passive House scientific modelling on the PHPP program to inform the design through the entire design, construction and certification process.

4. A Passive House Certifier's role is to provide independent review and quality assurance. They don't get involved in the design process at all. They sit in the background and provide technical support at multiple stages.

5. Building a custom architectural home to the Passive House standard adds around 10% as a rough rule of thumb. Simple design solutions can cost less.

6. Building a commercial building to the Passive House standard is not much of an uplift in cost above typical construction in mild climates like Sydney. Luc forecast that Passive House would become standard practice for commercial in Australia over the coming years. From an owner's perspective, it's not much more expensive to build, delivering low running costs and a more robust building. From a user's perspective, it's a healthier, more thermally comfortable building and therefore a more desirable and productive working environment.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

00:00 Introduction

00:58 How did you get into working in sustainability and Passive House?

02:34 The Passive House standard is applicable to all building types – not just houses.

04:43 Enerfit is the Passive House tool for renovations and refurbs

08:19 Passive House can be used for prefabricated buildings

09:15 You offer two services: Passive House Consultant and Passive House Certifier

10:21 How does your Passive House Consultant service work?

14:44 How does your independent Passive House Certifier service work?

16:41 What are the pros and cons of getting Passive House Certification vs high performance (uncertified)

19:15 What is the thermal envelope?

21:02 What is PHPP?

22:37 Do all products have to be certified Passive House components?

23:37 Passive House includes all energy use, and energy supply source.

25:02 How do you work with Architects and Building designers to help them with PHPP?

26:11 Airtightness – what does is mean in comparison to standard construction?

28:30 WUFI – moisture study to determine condensation issues

31:13 Is Passive House acknowledged by the NCC as a replacement for any energy assessments?

32:37 What are the concerns slowing uptake of Passive House in Australia?

35:12 How much cost does Passive House add to residential buildings?

39:02 Does Passive House have any problems over the long term?

40:46 Passive House in a hot, arid, tropical climate zone - design considerations.

44:55 Passive House in Commercial and other non-residential – Why is passive House being embraced by the commercial sector. How does it fit with other rating tools?

48:18 Air conditioning in commercial – how is it different in a Passive House standard building?

50:37 How much cost does Passive House add to non-residential buildings?

52:25 For anyone looking to engage a Passive House Consultant or a Passive House Certifier – where would they start?

54:01 Key Points Summary

IN THE NEXT EPISODE

Next week you'll find out about Passive House windows and how they're different from the typical windows we're used to in Australia. I talk to Paul Gerrard, the owner of uPVC Window manufacturing business Energy Efficient Windows in Brisbane.

RESOURCE LINKS

Luc Plowman, Detail Green, Victoria www.detailgreen.com.au

Prefabricated / modular Passive House buildings

Carbon Light, Victoria www.carbonlite.com.au

Eclipse Passive House, New South Wales www.eclipsepassivehouse.com.au

Arkit, Victoria www.arkit.com.au

International Passive House Association

www.passivehouse-international.org/

Certified Components Database www.database.passivehouse.com/en/components/

Australian Passive House Association

www.passivhausassociation.com.au/

Energy Efficiency tools and rating systems

WELL www.v2.wellcertified.com/en

Green Star www.gbca.au

NatHERS www.nathers.gov.au

Basix www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/development-and-assessment/basix

NABERS www.nabers.gov.au

Living Building Challenge www.living-future.org.au/living-building-challenge

GET IN TOUCH

If you've got any comments or questions or there's any topic you'd like to know more about, please send me an email at [e-mail].

www.renovationcollaborative.com.au