MOU Also Calls for Passive House Education Efforts

PORTLAND, Ore., .July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Earth Advantage Institute (www.earthadvantage.org), a nonprofit green building resource that has certified more than 11,000 homes, and the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) announced their intent to work together on development of an Energy Performance Score (EPS) label that can be issued for any home certified to the Passive House building energy standard.

The plan is part of an overall collaborative effort in the residential building sector that will also include education courses for professionals and consumers. The cooperation is expected to boost the adoption rate of Passive House-certified homes.

The EPS is a miles-per-gallon-style rating system for homes that allows buyers to compare estimated annual energy costs and energy consumption among different homes. It also provides an incentive for homeowners to undertake energy upgrades. Currently more than 1900 homes have been rated in the Northwest, and pilot programs are underway in Massachusetts, Virginia and Alabama. The EPS offers an energy efficiency metric for appraisers, lenders, insurers and other sectors providing services for the home industry.

“The massive energy savings offered by Passive House certification have attracted significant attention in the Northwest and in other parts of the country,” said Sean Penrith, executive director, Earth Advantage Institute. “With Earth Advantage Institute’s ability to reach the builder and homeowner communities, this agreement with PHIUS enables both parties to bring a much higher level of residential energy performance into the mainstream.”

“PHIUS is committed to making the Passive House building energy standard PH the prevalent, mainstream building energy standard for new construction and retrofits in the United States,” said Katrin Klingenberg, co-founder of Passive House Institute US. “The combination of PHIUS’ passive house technical expertise and Earth Advantage Institute’s Energy Performance Score experience can serve to move the market closer to broad-based energy efficiency.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Earth Advantage Institute and PHIUS have agreed to recognize each other as affiliates. The two organizations expect to provide each other with access to project criteria and building data and plan to jointly develop guidelines on accounting for carbon emissions within the program. Following contract finalization, Earth Advantage Institute also plans to host Certified Passive House Consultant training at its facilities in the Northwest.

About PHIUS

Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) is a nonprofit that promotes the Passive House building energy standard through professional training and certification, building certification, research, and outreach programs.

About Earth Advantage Institute

Earth Advantage Institute works with the building and design industry to help implement sustainable building practices. Its nonprofit mission is to create an immediate, practical and cost-effective path to sustainability and carbon reduction in the built environment. The organization achieves its objectives through a range of innovative certification, education, research and technical services programs.

For more information contact:

Tom Breunig
Director of Marketing
Earth Advantage Institute
(503) 968-7160
tbreunig@earthadvantage.org

Katrin Klingenberg
Executive Director
PHIUS
(217) 344-1294
katrin@passivehouse.us

SOURCE Earth Advantage Institute