Certification

Projects

All proposed Passivhaus designs must undergo energy modelling in the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP.) Tests ensure these targets are met, completing the quality assurance process. A certificate is only issued by a Passivhaus Certifier if the defined criteria have been met without exception.

A slightly relaxed standard has been created for retrofit projects - EnerPHit. Learn more about the different classes, Plus & Premium, which take into account renewable energy generation, and the certification process for Passivhaus buildings.

People

Passivhaus certification is globally recognised and ensures you are expertly qualified to design high-performance, highly efficient buildings. Passivhaus cer­ti­fic­ates and seals are meant for per­son­al use only. Qualifications apply to individuals and are available for the following people:

• Designer/ Consultant

• Tradesperson

• Certifier

DESIGNERS / CONSULTANTS: Accreditation for designers / consultants who have the expertise to deliver Passivhaus buildings. The accreditation gives assurance of competence in PHPP, a design tool used to inform the design process and to assess or verify compliance with the Passivhaus standard. On qualifying, individuals will earn the title Passivhaus Designer if they also hold a relevant design qualification (for example, are an architect); otherwise they will earn the title Passivhaus Consultant. The qualification must be renewed every 5 years. This can be done by:

• completing & submitting details of a Certified Passivhaus / EnerPHit building for which you are responsible for the Passivhaus design.

• or via the accumulation of 100 PHI credit renewal points. A list of accredited training events can be found here. 

The cer­ti­fic­ate can be re­newed as many times as de­sired. If it ex­pires, the pub­lic­a­tion on the register will be de­ac­tiv­ated and de­leted after 6 months.

To build on this Passivhaus training, ad­di­tion­al qualifications to the De­sign­er / Con­sult­ant or Trades­per­son cer­ti­fic­ates are available via new seals. These include: PHPP Expert, Construction Verifier (Surveyors may be interested in this additional consultant qualification), Trainer, and Component Assessor. (See infographic below.) Join an upcoming training course to become a certified Passivhaus Designer / Consultant yourself.

Find a certified Passivhaus Designer / Consultant: If you can't find a UK Consultant via our members map, check a list of international certified Designers here. 

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TRADESPEOPLE: Accreditation for contractors who have developed their basic building knowledge & understand key Passivhaus principles such as airtightness. The qualification must be renewed every 5 years. This can be done by:

• completing a certified Passivhaus project & submitting adequate documentation

• or via the accumulaton of 30 PHI credit renewal points. A list of accredited training events can be found here. 

The cer­ti­fic­ate can be re­newed as many times as de­sired. If it ex­pires, the pub­lic­a­tion on the register will be de­ac­tiv­ated and de­leted after 6 months.

Additional advanced qualifications for Tradespeople are being developed including: Retrofit Expert and Site Supervisor. (See infographic below.) Join an upcoming training courses to become a certified tradesperson yourself.

Find a certified Passivhaus Tradesperson: If you can't find a UK contractor via our members map, check a list of international certified Passivhaus Tradespeople here.

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CERTIFIERS: To achieve certification, all Passivhaus projects must be signed off by an independent accredited Passivhaus Certifier. These organisations must be separate to the main design team and provide impartial verification that all Passivhaus criteria have been satisfied. More on this below. A Passivhaus Designer / Consultant accreditation does not qualify an individual to certify projects, and a Passivhaus Certifier cannot also act as the Passivhaus Designer / Consultant on the same project. You may also be interested in the Certifiers Scope of Services. This paper offers an overview of the tasks and responsibilities typically involved in the Passivhaus certification process & guides clients and design teams in understanding the essential components and expectations associated with achieving Passivhaus certification.

• bePHit (Tomas Gaertner, SE3Design)
• Beyond Carbon
• ECD Architects
• Ecospheric
• Etude
• Greengauge
• Max Fordham
• Mead Consulting Ltd
• MosArt
• Passive House Institute
• QODA
• Spruce
• WARM: low energy building practice
• Zero Energy +Passivhaus

How to become a Passivhaus certifier

Supplementary guidance to the criteria for Passivhaus certification published by the Passivhaus Institute

Critieria for Passivhaus buildings: Classic, Plus, Premium. Also includes PHI low energy buildings. 

To find out more about the training & software available, please download this certification guide produced by the Passivhaus Institute.