Passive House is justifiably regarded to be the most energy efficient building standard in the world, as well as the most challenging to meet.
Spend seven weeks with Mike Duclos, Principal and Founder of DEAP Energy Group, learning how to meet the rigorous (and non-negotiable) Passive House design criteria and make Passive House happen in the real world.
During Passive House Design you will learn:
- How to design a home that meets Passive House Space Heating and Primary Energy requirements. You will actually do this as your Capstone Project.
- Products & Strategies for designing a passive house in the real world: thermal bridging, above-grade walls, windows and doors, roofs, mechanical systems, and more.
- Building Science issues encountered in Passive House design and construction that you may not run into in conventional design and construction.
- Solutions for very low energy home designs using a variety of calculators for feedback in exploring different aspects of the design space.
This course moves beyond theory into the realm of practical application and hands-on learning. At the end of the course, Mike challenges you to design a home using a simplified adaptation of the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) to meet the most challenging design criteria: Passive House Space Heating and Primary Energy requirements.
Mike Duclos takes a hands-on approach to teaching, and is committed to providing the tools required to help design Passive House in the real world. The material and exercises will challenge you theoretically and practically, but Mike will be there every step of the way to provide insights and direction through the course discussion board. Familiarity with spreadsheets is a prerequisite, and students must have access to the current version of the PHPP.
Students should be comfortable using Excel spreadsheets because it is an important part of the coursework.
Includes Software Add On PHPP Light
The PHPP Lite tool is based upon the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP).
In order to utilize Mike's PHPP Lite add-on the the PHPP, students will need to have access to the latest version of the PHPP. Since PHPP is intellectual property owned by Passive House Institute, you must demonstrate you have access to a licensed copy of PHPP via a valid purchase receipt.
The use of the PHPP Lite tool in Week 5 is strongly encouraged but is optional.
Prior to deciding if you want to use the PHPP Lite, you should view the PHPP Lite Week 5 videos to see what you can expect to learn from designing a Passive House using PHPP Lite.
More information on PHPP can be found here: https://foursevenfive.com/product/phpp/
Optional Textbook - Residential Energy: Cost Savings and Comfort for Existing Buildings (6th Edition)
There are optional readings in the course from the book "Residential Energy: Cost Savings and Comfort for Existing Buildings" by John Krigger. You are not required to purchase the book for this course, but some participants have found it to be helpful, older versions or used copies are also fine.
