The International Passive House Association (iPHA) and its partner organisations launch the global “Efficiency: The First Renewable Energy” campaign today. Te Tōpūtanga o te Whare Korou ki Aotearoa, Passive House Institute New Zealand (PHINZ) is the iPHA partner organisation in Aotearoa NZ.

Using the hashtag #EfficiencyFirst, the campaign aims to raise awareness for the vital role energy efficiency in buildings plays in meeting our climate goals. The campaign also demonstrates that Passive House buildings provide a comfortable, healthy and sustainable built environment. The launch includes a competition for social media followers.

The International Passive House Association (iPHA), founded by the Passive House Institute in 2010, launches their campaign today with the social media competition #ExplainPassiveHouse. Social media followers of the network are asked to post descriptions of how a Passive House building works using everyday household objects. The competition will run until March 1. The winner will receive their choice of Passive House Designer or PHPP expert course or tickets to the 25th annual International Passive House Conference on September 10-11, 2021 in Wuppertal, Germany.

iPHA is a global network uniting both Passive House experts and enthusiasts alike. Together with its 22 partner organisations all over the globe, including PHINZ, iPHA works to spread knowledge about the Passive House standard worldwide and foster a greater public understanding of its benefits and achievability. The network makes information available and facilitates active exchange among industry professionals, policymakers and the media and public.

The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) highlights the substantial action needed to limit global warming. Currently, 35% of global energy consumption stems from the building sector alone. The operational stage is the largest contributor to carbon emissions. The majority of this stemming from heating and cooling demand. The past decade has seen increased awareness of the need for renewable energy and reducing embodied energy. Using the slogan “Efficiency: The First Renewable Energy”, the #EfficiencyFirst campaign aims to inform the public on a foundational aspect of sustainable buildings that is too often overlooked: Energy efficiency.

PHINZ CEO Amy Tankard comments, “Here in Aotearoa NZ, our electricity grid already comprises a high level of renewables and is relatively green compared to most of the world. But compelling evidence still shows that cutting emissions through efficiency is vital to achieve our climate goals.” (1)

Over the course of 2021, PHINZ will be promoting the iPHA network’s series of activities and events. These will promote the significance of an efficiency first approach to building design; wherein buildings are planned, constructed and retrofitted to have an extremely low heating and cooling demand. Planned activities include a range of talks and informational sessions; explanatory materials for print and online publication; the International Passive House Open Days and more. The campaign is expected to run until the end of 2021.

• Find out more about the #EfficiencyFirst campaign on the International Passive House Association’s website: https://www.passivehouse-international.org/

• Or Passive House Institute New Zealand’s site: https://passivehouse.nz/efficiencyfirst-campaign/

(1). Foot notes

• ECCA https://www.eeca.govt.nz/our-work/research/research-papers-and-guides/energy-efficiency-first/

• Sustainable Engineering: https://sustainableengineering.co.nz/life-cycle-analysis-shows-ph-performance-still-the-right-choice/

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