Passive House Certification

The Passive House Certification is a free intermediate-level, 20-minute skill test from Science of Apps. It tests the knowledge of a Passive House designer, consultant or tradesperson — the Passive House principles and certification criteria, insulation, thermal-bridge-free design and airtightness, windows and ventilation with heat recovery, and energy balance, PHPP modelling, EnerPHit and the Classic, Plus and Premium classes — written to the Passive House Institute certification criteria, the PHPP and Passivhaus Trust guidance for 2026. Component limits shown are for cool-temperate climates; PHI sets different values for other climates. Score 70% or more on its 20 questions to earn a verifiable Passive House Proficiency certificate (SOA-PH). Every question is based on published standards and research — including Building certification: Passive House and EnerPHit criteria (Passive House Institute), Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) (Passive House Institute), Passivhaus criteria summary (Passivhaus Trust (UK)) — and each answer is explained with its source.

Science of Apps offers a free Passive House Certification, updated for 2026 and 2027. It measures principles and certification criteria, insulation, thermal bridges and airtightness, windows and ventilation and energy balance, PHPP and practice and gives instant results with a shareable certificate.

Read the four skill areas on this page, then take the 20-minute test online — no fee, course or sign-up. You see every answer explained when you finish. Score 70% or more and you get a Passive House Proficiency certificate straight away, on screen, as a PDF and by email, with a credential ID anyone can verify.

Yes. The questions are original scenarios written by Science of Apps, and each one is based on a public source you can read: Building certification: Passive House and EnerPHit criteria (Passive House Institute); Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) (Passive House Institute); Passivhaus criteria summary (Passivhaus Trust (UK)). The source is shown under each question and linked in the answer review. Science of Apps doesn't copy questions from other tests.

Four skill areas with five questions each, drawn from a bank of 10 per area so a retake brings new questions: Principles and Certification Criteria (Five principles, Criteria and Classes); Insulation, Thermal Bridges and Airtightness (Opaque envelope, Thermal bridges and Airtight layer); Windows and Ventilation (Windows, MVHR and Summer comfort); Energy Balance, PHPP and Practice (PHPP, Energy balance and Quality assurance). Every question is an original scenario written to the 2026–2027 standard, with the published source named under it.

Certified Passive House Designer or Consultant candidate, Architect or building designer, Building services or energy engineer, Builder or Passive House tradesperson and Retrofit coordinator. It suits anyone who wants a quick, verifiable way to show Passive House knowledge in 2026 and 2027, from students and career switchers to experienced professionals.

For a new Passive House Classic in most climates, the Passive House Institute requires a space heating demand of no more than 15 kWh per m² of treated floor area per year (or a heating load of no more than 10 W/m²), airtightness of n50 ≤ 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pa, limits on renewable primary energy demand, and good thermal comfort with limited overheating.

EnerPHit is the Passive House Institute's standard for retrofitting existing buildings, where reaching full Passive House levels is often not practical. It allows a higher heating demand and air leakage (for example n50 ≤ 1.0) while still using Passive House components and principles.

Yes. The test is online, in English and free everywhere — people take it from India, the US, the UK, Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Your certificate is dated with your own local date and can be verified from anywhere at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/.

20 questions — 5 from each of 4 skill areas — with a 20-minute limit. You need 70% (14 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

We rate it Intermediate: assumes hands-on experience in the role. It has 20 scenario questions — 5 from each of 4 skill areas — and a 20-minute limit. You need 70% (14 of 20) to pass and 90% for distinction.

Nothing. There is no fee to take a test, to receive the certificate, to have it emailed or to verify it, and no sign-up.

On our server, not in your browser. The answers never reach the page until you submit, so a certificate can only be earned by passing. Each certificate gets a unique credential ID stored by Science of Apps.

You see your score for each area and every question with the correct answer and why, with the published source behind it. You can retake after 30 minutes, and the retake draws questions you haven't seen yet.

No. Every certificate is dated, so it always shows when you passed. Retake a test any time for a newer date or a higher score.

Yes. After you pass, Add to LinkedIn opens the Licenses & certifications form with the certificate name, Science of Apps as the issuer, the issue date, your credential ID and the verification link filled in. You can also download it as a PDF or PNG, and it's emailed to you as a PDF.

Every certificate has a credential ID and a QR code. Scanning it, or entering the ID at scienceofapps.com/certification/verify/, shows the holder's name, the certification, the score and the issue date from our records.

No. They are Science of Apps' own assessments of applied skill. They aren't issued by a university or standards body, and they work best alongside a portfolio that shows the skills in real work.