Building Energy Exchange, North American Passive House Network, and Passive House Academy receive $250,000 Energy Efficiency Workforce Training Grant.
New York’s energy efficiency center of excellence, the Building Energy Exchange (BE-Ex), North American Passive House Network (NAPHN), and Passive House Academy (PHA) secure $250,000 grant from New York Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) for the expansion of training programs related to the Passive House building standard, a set of building principles that drastically decrease energy use while maximizing comfort and livability.
With NYSERDA’s support, BE-Ex, NAPHN, and PHA will expand their current training programs – the introductory Passive House Primer, and advanced Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant (CPHD/C) Training – while developing new courses for in-person and online delivery.
November 25, 2019
NYSERDA’s $250,000 Energy Efficiency and Clean Technology Training Program funding will support the expansion of Passive House trainings currently produced jointly by BE-Ex and NAPHN in collaboration with PHA. These programs will serve a wide swath of building industry professionals – from engineers, architects, and contractors, to building owners, operators, and financers – by providing both a pathway for professional accreditation and an entry point for those broadly interested in the energy consequences of design and construction decisions.
The project has four major components: an online version of the existing, highly successful Passive House Primer; six short technical modules on primary fundamentals of Passive House for live instruction and online delivery; a Passive House Construction Primer for live instruction and online delivery; and an online version of the highly successful Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant training program.
The grant arrives alongside the passing of New York City’s Climate Mobilization Act and New York State’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, legislative packages that, among other climate objectives, set city-wide building emissions reduction mandates and state-wide carbon neutrality goals. NYSERDA’s Energy Efficiency and Clean Technology Workforce Training Grant provides support for organizations dedicated to accelerating the adoption of building practices that are aligned with these aggressive carbon reduction commitments.
“Scaling up education around high-performance buildings is critical in meeting New York City’s building emissions mandates, and by extension, the climate crisis we face. We’re thrilled to expand current programs, like our Passive House Primer, which we’ve delivered to 400 building professionals over the past six months. Now, with support from NYSERDA, and in collaboration with NAPHN and PHA, we are well positioned to extend our services to a larger market and build upon New York State’s legacy as a leader in high performance buildings.” said Richard Yancey, Executive Director, Building Energy Exchange.
“Making sure building professionals are geared with the right knowledge to actively meet the new building standards, like those set forth by NYC’s Climate Mobilization Act, is central to NAPHN’s mission and crucial to tackling our present climate crisis. We are both honored and excited to have NYSERDA’s support and to be collaborating with esteemed partners, BE-Ex and PHA, on expanding essential education curriculum and modalities to further the adoption of high-performance building standards in New York State. Having already delivered our 5-day Certified Passive House Designer Training to over 250 building professionals in NYC, we are eager to educate a larger and more expansive market throughout the state,” said Sharon Gaber, Manager, NAPHN.
NORTH AMERICAN PASSIVE HOUSE NETWORK (NAPHN) is a 501c3 non-profit educational and advocacy organization leading the transformation of the building industry to low-energy, high-performance Passive House design and construction. NAPHN supports the widespread adoption of the international Passive House design and construction standards, building science principles and protocols. NAPHN partners with leading stakeholders across all building sectors, including: governments, professional associations, manufacturers, owners, builders, labor organizations, and educational institutions, to make the transformation complete.
PASSIVE HOUSE ACADEMY (PHA) is an organization dedicated to making Passive House accessible and achievable. A global leader in Passive House training, PHA has trained over 800 graduates of the Certified Passive House Designer, Certified Passive House Tradesperson, and Passive House Primer courses.
New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) promotes energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy resources, with the broad aim of developing a less polluting and more reliable and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers. Collectively, NYSERDA’s efforts aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, accelerate economic growth, and reduce customer energy bills. Since 1975, NYSERDA has worked with a diverse array of stakeholders to attract private sector capital investment needed to expand New York’s clean energy economy, overcome barriers to using clean energy at a large scale, and enable New York’s communities to benefit from energy efficiency and renewable energy.
