This week’s Passive House sweep
- Phius guidebook v26.1.2 adds METr modeling guidance
- Phius REVIVE retrofit pilot closes to new projects
- Phius METr single-family training Nov 9 to 10
- DC Sustainable Energy Utility opens its income-qualified efficiency fund
- RMI study finds heat pumps could ease power rates
ExtraReach is still in the planning stage. This week’s sweep (roughly October 26–November 2) is a quieter one. The Passive House Institute US (Phius) put out a guidebook update and has a modeling course coming up. DC opened a new round of efficiency funding for existing affordable buildings, and a new study looks at what heat pumps could mean for electricity rates.
Phius guidebook v26.1.2 adds METr modeling guidance
On October 29, Phius published version 26.1.2 of its Certification Guidebook. Phius describes it as a clarification release: it doesn’t change the certification rules. The main addition is a new section on METr (Modeled Energy Transfer), Phius’s cloud-based energy-modeling tool. Phius built METr with the software developer C3RRO to succeed WUFI Passive, the program project teams have used to model Phius projects until now. Phius says that starting with its CORE 2027 protocol, every certified project will need either a METr energy model or a Prescriptive Path checklist.
No change to what a project has to meet. METr is where Phius modeling is heading, so whoever models ExtraReach should read the new section before modeling starts.
Sources: Phius: What’s new in Guidebook v26.1.2 · Phius METr page · METr course page
Phius REVIVE retrofit pilot closes to new projects
The same guidebook release closes REVIVE 2024, Phius’s pilot certification program for retrofits, to new projects. The pilot’s details have moved to an appendix, and Section 3 of the guidebook now lays out the certification path for new retrofit projects.
ExtraReach is new construction, so this doesn’t change our plan. Mid-Atlantic retrofit projects, such as rowhouse renovations, should use the guidebook’s current retrofit path rather than REVIVE.
Sources: Phius: What’s new in Guidebook v26.1.2
Phius METr single-family training Nov 9 to 10
Phius is running a live online course on modeling single-family homes in METr on November 9–10. Registration is $750, or $700 for Phius Alliance members.
Useful for designers or consultants we might bring on who haven’t worked in METr yet. It’s online, so there’s no travel.
Sources: Phius event page
DC Sustainable Energy Utility opens its income-qualified efficiency fund
The DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) opened its Income Qualified Efficiency Fund for fiscal year 2027 on November 2. The fund pays for heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, air sealing and insulation in affordable multifamily buildings, shelters and clinics. Early-bird applications are due December 18, and the final deadline is January 15.
This fund covers upgrades to existing buildings, not new Passive House construction. It’s still worth passing along to DC affordable housing owners planning envelope or heat pump work.
Sources: DCSEU Income Qualified Efficiency Fund
RMI study finds heat pumps could ease power rates
This one is background reading. A new study from RMI (formerly Rocky Mountain Institute) finds that in many states, where the grid peaks in summer, there is spare winter capacity for about 86 million more homes to add heat pumps, counting both all-electric and hybrid systems. In those summer-peaking states, RMI estimates that using this headroom could lower residential electricity rates by about 13% on average. RMI describes these as directional estimates, not forecasts.
No action needed. It supports the case that all-electric homes can help the grid rather than strain it, and a tight Passive House envelope keeps winter heating demand low in the first place.
Sources: RMI report · Canary Media coverage
Still watching
The DC Mayor signed the emergency net zero bridge measure on October 29 (Act A26-0457, in effect through January 27, 2027). It keeps the net-zero requirement for District-financed new housing but delays the renewable-energy share until DC’s final net-zero rules take effect, now due by December 31, 2027. We’re still watching the November 24 deadline for a U.S. Supreme Court petition in the New York all-electric case, and a Maryland Public Service Commission order on 2027 programs for EmPOWER Maryland, the state’s utility-funded efficiency program, expected by December. More on each in our October 26 sweep.
Updated Nov 3, 2026: corrected the DC net zero bridge measure status; the Mayor signed it on October 29.