Single-Family Home in Historic Shepherdstown, WV Achieves Phius CORE Design Certification

MILFORD, PA and SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV (February 11, 2025) – Richard Pedranti Architect (RPA), a premier architecture firm pioneering energy-efficient architecture for modern living, now has under construction the first Phius Design-Certified passive building in the Mountain State. In November 2024, the Porter Residence, a single-family passive house located in historic Shepherdstown, West Virginia received Design Certification under the Phius CORE 2021 Program.

RPA designed the home to meet rigorous Phius energy standards. By achieving up to 80 to 90 percent energy savings compared to traditional homes, passive houses not only reduce heating and cooling costs, but also significantly minimize greenhouse gas emissions. Phius explains that Phius Certified projects “are the most energy efficient and comfortable buildings in the world.”

“Passive house principles have revolutionized home design and building standards,” said Richard Pedranti, Principal at RPA. “Our approach significantly reduces energy consumption, creates measurably healthier indoor environments, and ensures exceptionally more comfortable living conditions. It has been rewarding to work with these homeowners to achieve the life they envisioned in the form of an energy-efficient passive house.”

To minimize energy consumption for heating and cooling, the home incorporates critical passive building design principles, including enhanced insulation, airtight construction, triple-pane windows, a fresh air ventilation system with energy recovery, and strategic solar orientation on the building site. These strategies enable the home to maintain comfortable temperatures year-round without relying on a conventional HVAC system.

“Earning Phius Design Certification is a significant step toward creating a healthy, resilient, and comfortable building. Phius projects target the sweet spot where energy savings overlap with cost effectiveness, and this milestone proves the Porter passive house project is designed to hit those targets,” explained James Ortega, Phius Project Certification Manager.

The high-performance model of this three-story, 3,268 square foot single-family home signals exceptional energy efficiency. With a predicted annual heating and cooling demand of just 4.8 kWh/ft2.yr and 4.0 kWh/ft2.yr, respectively, the Porter Residence predicts significantly reduced energy needs relative to a code-compliant home which may use up to 3-5x more energy on heating and cooling. The peak heating load of 4.4 and peak cooling load of 1.9, or 14,000 BTU/hr heating and 6,200 BTU/hr cooling, further highlight the home’s ability to maintain comfortable indoor conditions with minimal energy input. This performance is predicted using WUFI Passive whole building energy modeling software, the compliance tool required for Phius Certification. The building’s airtightness, measured at 0.06 cfm50/ft2 enclosure area (/0.76 ACH50), is about 5x tighter than conventional building code allows and contributes to its exceptional performance.

Design Certification for Phius CORE verifies that architectural and engineering plans meet Phius’ performance and design requirements based on energy modeling and documentation before construction begins. When home construction is complete, the homeowners plan to pursue final certification with Phius which confirms that the building adheres to certified design plans and passes rigorous testing and third-party validation for airtightness, mechanical systems, and overall performance.

Phius is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting comfortable living for all and the well-being of the planet. Phius works toward this goal by training and certifying professionals, maintaining the Phius climate-specific passive building standard, certifying and quality assuring passive buildings, certifying high-performance building products, and conducting research to advance high-performance building.

About Richard Pedranti Architect
Richard Pedranti Architect (RPA) is a premier architecture firm pioneering energy-efficient architecture for modern living. Since 1998, RPA has created environments that combine clients’ unique values with the extraordinary natural landscape of their regions. Located in Milford, Pennsylvania, the “birthplace of the American conservation movement,” RPA specializes in Passive House and high-performance buildings, putting modern building science to work creating beautiful, healthy, comfortable, and energy-efficient buildings. To learn more, please visit: richardpedranti.com.

Media Contact:
Mark Tordik
Broadpath for RPA
215-644-6502
mtordik@broadpathpr.com