Tools for Passive House Exam and Daily Use

Passivhaus Compendium

Harrmann Consulting compiled all relevant Passive House formulas and related information on a few pages. These cheat sheets are handy for Passive House exam preparation and very useful for the day of the exam.

But they are also valuable for quick consultation when working on Passive House projects. References are made throughout the document to the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP Version 8, 2013, metric and imperial – both PHPP versions are available at www.certiPHIers.com) – making the compendium an indispensable tool for every Passive House Consultant.

Here are a few partial screenshots:

The following items and many more are covered:

  • Energy balance
  • Annual space heating demand
  • Space heating load
  • Thermal bridges
  • U-value calculation and surface temperature for opaque elements and windows
  • Surface film thermal resistances
  • Heating and thermal comfort
  • Dimensioning of air quantities
  • Efficiency of heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
  • Maximum heating load transportable via the supply air
  • Evaluation criteria for Passive House
  • New Passive House classes PHPPv9 2015: Classic, Plus and Premium
  • Primary Energy Demand (PE) and Primary Energy Demand Renewable (PER)
  • Calculation of Treated Floor Area (TFA)
  • Passive House components (quality criteria)
  • Coanda effect
  • Ductwork – diameter and insulation thickness
  • The necessity of an airtight building envelope
  • Thermal conductivity for typical construction materials
  • Conversion tables for U-value to R-value (imperial and metric)
  • Explanation of accumulation, discount, present value, and annuity factors
  • Net present value calculations
  • Profitability of energy saving measures
  • Equivalent price of saved energy
  • Table with present value and annuity factors for quick reference (1-10% and 1-50 years)
  • Available in metric or imperial units

The Passivhaus Compendium is available as searchable and printable PDF (letter size) for a nominal charge of $20US.
The file will be provided via email – usually within 24 hours after payment is received.



Clare Parry:   “Nominal cost, very worthwhile!”
Bronwyn Barry:   “Here’s the best cheat sheet”
Mark.NZ.Wilson:   “It’s good value, I’highly recommend it”

Jim Iredale:   “I’ve been using your compendium for a couple of years, wish I had it at my exam in 2013.
It and Sarah Lewis’s PHPP illustrated are my go to desk side companions”

Converter Tool: Building Physics | SI-Imperial

Harrmann Consulting also developed a converter tool to master all these imperial and metric units one will come across when working on Passive House projects in North America (U-values, R-values, Annual Space Heating Demand, Heating Load, Temperature, Vapour Diffusion etc.). It is a “template” for Converter+ by TranCreative. Converter+ runs on all Apple platforms (OS X, iPhone / iPod Touch and iPad).

Here is how the template looks on an iPhone:

Passivhaus - Passive House Converter - Physics: Heat Transfer Coefficient - U-value W/m2K R-value m2K/W h.ft2.F/Btu - SI imperial                      Passive House Passivhaus Converter Tool - Metric SI - Imperial - Space Heat Demand 15kWh - Heating Load 10W                      Building Physics Science - Passive House - SI - Imperial Converter - Vapour Diffusion Perm Permeance Equivalent Sd - Temperature Degree Celsius Fahrenheit Kelvin

The converter template is available free of charge at this point – just follow these two steps:
1. Install Converter+ software on your device.
2. Register below to access the converter template (works only on Apple devices with Converter+ pre-installed).

[contact-form-7 id=”834″ title=”Converter Tool”]

Clare Parry:   “Somebody get this man a medal! Cheat sheets AND an app”
Jim Iredale:   “The converter is a convenient and accurate tool for quickly switching between metric and imperial results.”
New York Passive House (NYPH):   “This tool allows the user to master all the imperial and metric units one will come
across when working on Passive House projects in North America.”

More Details About Both Tools

International Passive House Conference 2017 in Vienna: Poster, Paper and Presentation