The North Park Passive House 6-plex is the first market strata-title certified Passive House development in Canada. RDH completed the airtightness testing and detailed post-occupancy performance measurement of the building to better understand the real-world operation and performance of a Passive House building in British Columbia’s coastal region. During a full year of post-occupancy, our team evaluated the building’s enclosure durability and performance, end use energy consumption, interior comfort, and indoor air quality, and the occupants’ perceptions of the building performance.

Our evaluation included the following main aspects:

  • Moisture durability and thermal performance of the high-R-value enclosure using heat and moisture sensors installed within the deep stud walls during construction.
  • Occupant comfort through both quantitative and qualitative measures based on occupant surveys taken immediately after occupancy and after living in the unit through the first winter; and based on temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 measurements taken inside the suites throughout the reporting period. The temperature measurements were also compared to the comfort conditions predicted by the Passive House model.
  • Energy use based on weather-normalized utility data and comparisons with usage predicted by the Passive House model.
  • Financial analysis based on utility and capital costs.
  • Theoretical energy performance of the same building in representative climates across Canada.

Date:

May 6, 2019

Clients:

Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Homeowner Protection Office of BC Housing, FP Innovations; Bernhardt Contracting Ltd.

Our Role:

Energy Performance Consultant

Key Services

Passive House Consulting
Measurement and Verification

We guide design teams through the Passive House certification process by providing input on design strategies, components, and systems; modeling the building using the Passive House software, and documenting all aspects required for certification.

Christy Love | P.Eng., CPHC

Principal, Building Science Specialist
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Graham Finch | Dipl.T., M.A.Sc., P.Eng.

Principal, Senior Building Science Specialist
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Brittany Coughlin | P.Eng., BEMP, CPHC, LEED AP

Regional Director – Canada East, Energy & Sustainability Specialist
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