The Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) is the most effective way to plan and design energy efficient buildings and retrofits. The energy balance and planning tool is easy to use and provides reliable calculations, as has already been experienced by several thousand users. There are now a number of 3rd party tools and plugins available to ensure you achieve your energy efficiency targets.
PHribbon
PHribbon is a set of tools that run from a tab from the toolbar in Excel, just like ‘Insert’ or ‘Page Layout’. This year the Window Tool and REALcosting have been merged into PHribbon. They have both been improved considerably and work directly in PHPP v9.6 (and possibly soon earlier versions as well). PHribbon is available in 2 versions and there are country-specific parts.
The slightly slimmed down version is aimed at most PHPP users for new builds and doesn’t contain any costing. The full version includes costing for retrofits. It takes a PHPP and creates a new tab called “costing” which it then adds formulas to through a series of dialogues.
The slimmed down version’s climate selection is currently specific to the UK, however, you can still enter site orientation and sheltering. If you are interested in having a country map added and can provide country data, please get in touch with the creator Tim Martel – tim(at)optimalretrofit.co.uk. The full version is suitable for all other countries, users would simply need typical costs or materials (per m, per m2).
Find out more about PHribbon here: phribbon.co.uk
WARM Low Energy Building Tools
Warm is an independent consultancy has developed a range of tools that can be integrated into, or used alongside PHPP. Below is a selection of the key add-ins or worksheets, click here for the full list of available resources.
PHPP analysis – compare two PHPPs
A tool for comparing the outputs of different PHPP sheets that are both open. V8 and V9 now supported.
SEDBUK conversion of boiler efficiencies from GROSS to NET for use in PHPP
SEDBUK conversion of boiler efficiencies from GROSS to NET for use in PHPP
Shape Tool
The Shape tool doesn’t reflect the changes in internal gains within calculations on PHPP9, but still generally applicable.
Additional Shading Sheet v2.1.0
An add-in sheet for PHPP 9, which allows you to easily model shading objects that are discontinuous and/or which have transparency. These include trees, tower blocks, brise-soleils, juliet balconies and plant-on glazing bars.
PHPP WARM Results Sheet v6.06
A graphical results sheet that can be added to any v8 or v9 PHPP.
WARM U-Value Corrections Calculator v1.0.0
Calculates corrections for insulation moisture uptake in inverted roofs and for metal fixings passing through the insulation layer.
Window Comparison Sheet
An add-in sheet for the PHPP. When you are comparing the impact on your PHPP of windows/doors from different manufacturers, use this sheet to save you from copying and pasting new specifications into the Components sheet every time you wish to switch to a different window manufacturer. Simply use the drop-down box in this sheet instead.
THERM
Thermal bridge calculation tool. THERM calculates the true heat loss for 2D calculations, this is known as L2D.
Learn more about WARM here: peterwarm.co.uk
Meteonorm
Meteonorm is a unique combination of reliable data sources and sophisticated calculation tools. It generates accurate and representative typical years for any place on earth. You can choose from more than 30 different weather parameters and choose an export format to suit your version of PHPP.
The database consists of more than 8,000 weather stations, five geostationary satellites and a globally calibrated aerosol climatology. On this basis, sophisticated interpolation models, based on more than 30 years of experience, provide results with high accuracy worldwide.
The first version of Meteonorm was published as paperback handbook in 1985. Ten years later, Meteotest transferred the handbook to a desktop software. Today Meteonorm has more than 2,000 active users and is included in almost every PV, solar thermal or building simulation software on the market.
All of this makes Meteonorm a global standard and a powerful tool for solar energy applications, building design, heating & cooling systems, education, agriculture, forestry and many more.
Learn more or download Meteonrom here: meteonorm.com
PassivLink
PassivLink is a Revit add-in that enables the user to directly export data from Revit to PHPP, saving time and money.
The creators have been continuing to develop the application and are launching PassivLink V1 imminently. At the moment they’re still conducting Beta tests, so get in contact with them if you’re interested in participating!
Check out their website to download PassivLink here: passivlink.com
ARCHICAD Export to PHPP
In the Energy Evaluation area of ARCHICAD, there are a number of export options available through the Start Energy Simulation button, one of which is “Export to PHPP”. This then activates the PHPP Export dialog box, which enables you to send building information model data to the PHPP Excel workbook you specify, for post-processing.
Learn more about the Export to PHPP option here: graphisoft.com
PHI’s Tools
The Passive House Institute has also developed a number of their own tools and aids including those to calculate sound protection, pressure losses in ventilation ducts, air exchange through windows, and temperature reduction factors for unheated or partially heated extensions.
Find out what other tools are available and download them here: passivehouse.com
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