At NBI, we are dedicated to advancing and tracking the leading edge of best practices for the built environment. Our Getting to Zero Buildings Database is a resource for the industry, cataloging verified and emerging zero energy projects across North America. Today, we are proud to announce an expansion of this resource through a partnership with Passive House Institute U.S. (Phius).
We’ve integrated 84 certified Phius ZERO projects into our database, offering a fresh tranche of data to help designers, developers, and policymakers achieve ultra-low-energy and ultra-low-carbon performance at scale.
Passive Building: A Foundation of Zero Energy
The “efficiency first” approach is central to achieving zero-energy performance. By focusing on a high-performance building envelope—highly insulated, with minimal air leakage, and free of thermal bridging—Phius passive building standards minimize the energy loads required to keep a building comfortable. This strategy makes it easier to meet 100% of the annual energy use with renewable generation.
The newly added project profiles in the Getting to Zero Buildings Database demonstrate that developers, engineers, and architects are applying the standard across a wide range of building types, from single-family homes and multifamily apartments to schools, government buildings, and offices.
Data-Driven Insights from the Latest Additions
The 84 added projects highlight the performance and applicability of the Phius passive building standard:
- Phius excels at zero-energy performance. 79% of the newly added buildings achieved a negative Site Energy Use Intensity (EUI) when renewables were included. All projects had an EUI below 28 before renewables were included, which is less than half the U.S. median.
- Passive building enables the all-electric transition. Over 60% of the new entries are confirmed as all-electric, reflecting a growing industry trend toward eliminating onsite fossil fuels to reduce emissions and improve regional and indoor air quality.
- Passive building is scalable. High-performance standards are no longer just for small-scale and high-end projects. The update includes large-scale facilities like Solara in Rhode Island (57,655 sq. ft.) and Westville Senior Housing in New Jersey (61,674 sq. ft.).
- Phius passive building standards are climate-specific. The newly added projects span the country, with projects in 26 different states. The largest clusters are in New York (14), Massachusetts (10), Illinois (9), and Washington (8), showing that passive building construction methods are viable in diverse climates.
Beyond Efficiency: Phius Boosts Resilience and Health
While energy savings are a primary driver, passive buildings also deliver critical co-benefits including building- and grid-level resilience, and public health cost savings. Recent research has demonstrated that Phius buildings significantly extend habitability, reducing excess mortality during grid disruption and extreme weather events, and have positive benefit-cost ratios.
Last year, NBI research explored the link between high-performance codes and policies and public health. We presented a case study in New York demonstrating how an advanced energy code and the all-electric new construction law (S4006c/A3006c) would result in improved public health outcomes and public health cost savings.
Advanced energy codes, high-performance design, and decarbonization—all of which come together in Phius—are powerful tools for furthering equitable outcomes in the built environment. These policies and design approaches can reduce energy burdens and improve indoor air quality, two issues that disproportionately impact low-income households.
Explore the Future of Buildings in the Getting to Zero Buildings Database
The addition of these Phius projects makes the Getting to Zero Buildings Database an even more robust tool for identifying best practices and technical solutions. We invite you to explore these new records to find inspiration for your next high-performance project. Together with partners like Phius, NBI is expanding the evidence base for high-performance buildings and their specifications for architecture, engineering, and construction firms working toward an energy-efficient, resilient, and healthy built environment.
Explore the Updated Database Now
New Buildings Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides the Getting to Zero Buildings Database for free, as a public resource. You can support NBI’s work to maintain this database and more with a tax-deductible donation.
Authors
Co-authored by Grant Sheely, Technical Associate, New Buildings Institute
Co-authored by Tristan Grant, Associate Director of Codes and Policy, New Buildings Institute
Bio