Passive House Performance in Cold Climates: a Review of the Envelope Performance and Energy Consumption of a Certified Research and Testing Facility in Canada
The University of Northern British Columbia’s Wood Innovation Research Lab (WIRL) is the first industrial facility tested and certified to the International Passive House standard in Canada. Constructed using a glulam post and beam system and unique high-performance standing truss wall assembly, the building serves as a research and testing facility for University faculty and students. Temperature and humidity sensors were installed in the north and south wall façade during construction to measure the building’s hygrothermal performance. In addition, energy consumption meters were installed to measure the annual energy and heating demand of the building. Both the hygrothermal performance and energy use data are of interest due to the unique envelope design, the building’s location in a cold climate and the intended use of the building. Energy consumption results are compared to those calculated in the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) model completed for the building. Initial findings after an eighteen-month data collection period found that the exterior walls did not experience 100% relative humidity during the data collection period but that high readings of relative humidity (>80%) did occur. The measured annual heating and energy demand of the WIRL exceeded the predicted consumption values calculated in the PHPP model due to occupant behavior, mechanical system operation inefficiencies and discrepancies that exist between modeled vs actual climate conditions.