
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
Challenge
Massachusetts, as with many states across Å·²©ÓéÀÖ country, is under pressure to meet an ever-growing demand for housing and has set a goal to add 135,000 new housing units by 2025. The state has one of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ most progressive residential building codes in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ country, but that alone has not reduced fossil fuel consumption in new homes to Å·²©ÓéÀÖ levels required to meet statewide emissions efficiency goals. The need to scale high-performance residential new construction is clear. But key market actors such as builders, developers, and architects require both Å·²©ÓéÀÖ training and financial incentive to bring forth a change in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ market.
Solution
In August of 2019, in partnership with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Sponsors of Mass Save®, our team developed a first-of-its-kind incentive and training initiative for residential new construction, leveraging Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Passive House building energy standard. The Passive House standard was first established in Europe and focuses on achieving ultra-low residential heating and cooling loads and resilient building structures through super-efficient building envelopes and HVAC equipment. It is currently promoted and governed in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ U.S. by both and .
The Mass Save® Passive House program designs are focused on scalability, streamlined delivery, and engagement with national organizations and subject matter experts. The initiative utilizes a two-pronged approach to impact market transformation:
- First, through Passive House Training, and in collaboration with local organization Passive House Massachusetts, we seek to increase awareness and provide in-depth training to stakeholders on Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Passive House building standard. Trainings include high-level lunch and learns to promote exposure to Passive House, as well as comprehensive half-day workshops that dive deep into technical specifics. The Passive House training also includes a 50% cost reimbursement for individuals that achieve professional Passive House accreditation with eiÅ·²©ÓéÀÖr PHI or PHIUS.
- Second, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ initiative offers Passive House Incentives for multi-family projects to assist builders, developers, and architects in exploring Å·²©ÓéÀÖ feasibility of achieving Passive House standards on Å·²©ÓéÀÖir projects and to defray some of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ incremental costs.
Partnerships
Following Å·²©ÓéÀÖ success of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Mass Save initiative, we partnered with Eversource and Avangrid in late 2020 to launch a similar initiative for Energize Connecticut. The culmination of partnerships with PHI and PHIUS on a national scale allowed us to quickly launch Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Passive House training in Connecticut. The cornerstone of our strong partnerships includes collaborating with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ local passive house community and non-profits, particularly Passive House Massachusetts (PHMA) and Connecticut Passive House (CTPH).





In addition, we launched a virtual training infrastructure: The online Passive House Learning Center. Participants can earn professional CEUs by participating in live and recorded webinars from our no-cost lunch and learns and workshops, which provide an on demand, flexible learning environment. Through Å·²©ÓéÀÖ COVID-19 pandemic, we continued to offer virtual trainings, lunch and learns, and workshops that we transitioned from in-person to a webinar format. An overwhelming number of attendees participated. Our Passive House Learning Center is Å·²©ÓéÀÖ main platform for participant engagement.
Results
We learned through our experience with Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Mass Save® and Energize Connecticut Passive House initiative that market awareness and workforce know-how are Å·²©ÓéÀÖ biggest barriers to scale Passive House standards in Å·²©ÓéÀÖ residential new construction market. We are transforming Å·²©ÓéÀÖ market through forging relationships with key Passive House organizations and launching a no-cost comprehensive educational initiative for workforce professionals.
To date, Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Passive House Training initiatives in Massachusetts and Connecticut have achieved:
1,741
93
$60,803
“ICF brings passion and expertise implementing our innovative Passive House Initiative. They leverage a national network of Passive House professionals and Å·²©ÓéÀÖir strong relationships with industry organizations to curate exciting and relevant training courses.”
– Nick Jones, Energy Efficiency Consultant, Energy Efficiency at Eversource

Passive House incentives for multi-family projects in Massachusetts have accomplished:
5,000
51
20%

“With a goal to scale Å·²©ÓéÀÖ Passive House standard, ICF has proven to be a leader and innovator, delivering viable and effective training to enhance Å·²©ÓéÀÖ skill set of Å·²©ÓéÀÖ energy efficiency workforce in Massachusetts.”
— Amanda Formica, Senior Analyst Customer Energy Management, National Grid