Partnerships

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, known as NYSERDA, promotes energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources. It’s $40 million Buildings of Excellence program, launched in 2019, provides financial incentives and recognition for the design, construction, and operation of resilient, healthy, energy efficient, and climate friendly buildings. NYSERDA helped fund Phius trainings to develop the workforce required for its mission. NYSERDA’s support helped Phius bring its national conference, PhiusCon, to Tarrytown, New York. Phius and NYSERDA continue to work together to advance high-performance building.

The Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation was established in December 1999 as an independent foundation with a $225 million endowment provided by Commonwealth Edison. Our mission is to improve energy efficiency, advance the development and use of renewable energy resources, and protect natural areas and wildlife habitat in communities all across Illinois.

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is placing a few big bets that truly significant progress is possible on some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including advancing global climate solutions, decreasing nuclear risk, promoting local justice reform in the U.S., and reducing corruption in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria.  The Foundation funded Phius’ creation of resources to guide architects, builders, and developers in the construction of multifamily/affordable housing.

Enterprise Green Communities is the only national green building program created with and for the affordable housing sector. Launched in 2004, the comprehensive program has evolved to address the growing threats of our changing climate. What hasn’t shifted is our focus on residents’ health and well-being. Enterprise Green Communities guidelines include Phius Certification, and have been adopted by 31 states for their Low-Income Housing Tax Credit programs.

Mass Save is an initiative sponsored by Massachusetts’ natural gas and electric utilities and energy efficiency service providers. We provide a wide range of energy efficiency services to help residents and businesses manage energy use and related costs. Phius trainings are eligible for a Mass Save 50% cost share (including exam) for Massachusetts residences/business. Mass Save also provides enhanced incentives for 5+unit multifamily project pursuing passive house certification. Check out the website here for more information.

Energize Connecticut is an initiative dedicated to empowering Connecticut to make smart energy choices, now and in the future. It is an initiative of the Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund, the Connecticut Green Bank, the State, and your local electric and gas utilities. The initiative has funding support from a charge on customer energy bills. Phius trainings are eligible for a 50% cost share (including exam) for Connecticut residences/business. Check out the website here for more information.

RMI (formerly Rocky Mountain Institute) is an independent, non-partisan nonprofit “think-and-do” tank that drives the efficient and restorative use of resources. RMI advances market-based solutions, engaging businesses, communities, and institutions to cost-effectively shift to efficiency and renewables. RMI employs rigorous research, analysis, and whole-systems expertise to develop breakthrough insights. To advance the organization’s mission and propel the industry, RMI developed the Innovation Center in Basalt, Colorado in December 2015. Similar in size and program to about 90% of all commercial buildings in the United States, this project is the first in the world to achieve both Phius Passive Building Standard and Source Zero Energy certification and demonstrates the feasibility of achieving net zero commercial buildings today.

Funded by a DOE initiative, this program focuses innovative retrofit and new construction solutions that combine energy-efficient building decarbonization and streamlined industrialized construction. In addition to energy and carbon reductions, ABC offers superior comfort, resilience, fast deployment, and other potential co-benefits. ABC solutions include technologies, construction and manufacturing techniques, and new business models. Along with RMI and other participants, Phius is participating in research to do large building retrofits at the scale necessary to fight climate change.

The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics (IBP) in Germany focuses on research, development, testing, demonstration and consulting in the various specialist areas of building physics, including solutions for improving energy efficiency. Fraunhofer IBP works together with industry partners to help develop and launch innovative solutions. Phius collaborated with Fraunhofer IBP and Owens Corning to develop the WUFI® Passive software, a powerful user-friendly passive building energy modeling tool that is uniquely suited to the North American market.

Phius developed the climate-specific Passive Building Standard in partnership with Building Science Corporation (BSC) under a US Department of Energy (DOE) Building America grant. The research underpins the Phius performance targets, which represent the "sweet spot" between aggressive energy-saving measures and cost effectiveness, in an effort to make passive building mainstream. Phius and BSC also regularly collaborate on building science presentations at the annual PhiusCon Passive Building Conference and BSC's Annual Westford Symposium.

From a single office in Vancouver in 1997, RDH has grown into a national and international firm. Building science underpins everything that we do: it’s an area of professional practice that integrates building physics with the art of design and the practical challenges of construction. Together with Phius, RDH provides Phius Certified Builder Training throughout the calendar year.

Working with the US Department of Energy (DOE), PHIUS aligned its PHIUS Passive Building Certification program with the DOE's Zero Energy Ready Home (ZERH) program. As a result, PHIUS certification also earns ZERH status, qualifying projects for benefits including eligibility for the ZERH Lender program.

Phius Certification incorporates U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Indoor airPLUS protocol. EPA’s Indoor airPLUS qualification builds on the foundation of EPA's ENERGY STAR requirements for new homes and includes additional construction specifications to provide comprehensive indoor air quality protections in new homes. The benefit for a builder is the ability to offer the buyer not only a home that performs above the industry standard for energy efficiency, but also a safer, healthier, more durable home and additional peace-of-mind.

The Residential Energy Services Network (RESNET) was founded in 1995 as an independent, non-profit organization to help homeowners reduce the cost of their utility bills by making their homes more energy efficient. RESNET trains and certifies energy raters and sets standards such as the Home Energy Rating System (HERS®) Index, the industry standard by which a home's energy efficiency is measured. It is also the nationally recognized system for inspecting, testing, and calculating a home's energy performance. Phius partnered with RESNET in 2012 to include RESNET-approved QA/QC through on-site inspections in Phius certification.

The Northeast Home Energy Rating System (NEHERS) Alliance was formed in 1998 to foster, unify and promote HERS programs in the Northeast. Since that time, the Alliance and its members have worked together to standardize and increase home energy ratings (HERS), and promote energy mortgages (EM's), and ENERGY STAR Homes throughout the region.

EEBA delivers turn-key educational resources and events designed to transform residential construction practices through high performance design, marketing, materials, and technologies.  Through educational events, annual Summit and various publications and resources, EEBA reaches thousands of key decision makers and other important industry players each year.

Passive Buildings Canada shares passive house knowledge and experience to assist Canadians in reducing building energy consumption, and carbon emissions. We value open, honest, and respectful discourses informed by rigorous, practical building science and seek to connect with other organizations to strengthen the low-energy building movement. We are a volunteer organization by passive house enthusiasts for passive house enthusiasts.

Green Building United is a member-driven, mission-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization working to advance an equitable transition to a climate friendly and healthy built environment through education, advocacy, and strategic initiatives. Green Building United convenes building industry and sustainability professionals with an interest in, or a commitment to, improving the built environment for the benefit of the greater Philadelphia area, Lehigh Valley, PA, and the State of Delaware.

Passive House Institute Japan promotes the Phius passive building certification standard and offers Phius CPHC® training in the Japanese language. It also supports and disseminates research and other technical information related to passive building.

Illinois Green Alliance is a member-driven nonprofit working to promote buildings and communities that give people better, brighter, healthier places to live, work and learn. It fosters a growing and vibrant green building community with programs, advocacy, and education driven by volunteers and individual members.

NetZeroBuild Summit brings together building owners, architecture/design firms, utilities, materials, services and tools suppliers, regulators, policy makers to discuss the implementation of low-carbon and renewable energy construction for new buildings and retrofits in the Midwest.

Passive House Accelerator LLC is a catalyst for zero carbon building. The Accelerator convenes practitioners, institutions, manufacturers, and anyone concerned about buildings and climate change to dive into the details of creating better buildings. We work to accelerate both solution-making and solution-makers in the zero carbon building movement. 

gb&d is the leading source for green building professionals. With two issues a year (digital and print), plus weekly newsletters, gb&d delivers a wealth of rich reporting on sustainability. Together we can make a more sustainable world. Each year, gb&d partners with Phius to feature the winners of the annual Phius Passive Projects Design Competition.