Deeper, Healthier Electrification: Passive House Retrofits

MDCRES - Deeper, Healthier Electrification: Passive House Retrofits

Electrifying existing buildings is a crucial step toward reducing reliance on fossil fuels, but it introduces certain challenges. These include the risk of diminished resilience in the built environment during power outages and increased costs for backup power solutions.

This presentation explores how integrating Passive House standards into building retrofits can enhance both energy efficiency and resilience. It highlights the long-term benefits of these standards, not only in improving a building’s ability to withstand power disruptions but also in boosting occupant comfort, health, and overall quality of life.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:

Enrico Bonilauri holds two Master's Degrees — one in Architecture from the University of Parma, Italy, and one in Sustainable Design from the University of Sydney, Australia. As a registered Italian Architect and Certified Passive House Trainer, Designer, and PHI Certifier, he has worked in Australia, Europe, and North America. He specializes in building envelope analysis, informed by the thousands of hours spent on construction sites. Speaker experience includes conferences in Germany, Austria, China, the US, Canada, Spain, Australia, and New Zealand. He’s the Co-Founder of Emu and has been the scientific curator of their Passive House training curriculum, teaching American builders since 2017.

The program was hosted by Greg Winchell, MDCRES Program Manager.

A question and answer session followed the presentation.

TIMELINE:

0:00 Welcome and announcements - Greg Winchell
2:49 Presentation - Enrico Bonilauri
58:00 Q&A

This program was organized by the Metro Denver chapter of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society and was recorded at their June 19, 2025, meeting. Contact us at [email protected] or visit us online at https://cres-energy.org/.

CREDITS:

Video production by Brian Beinlich, https://brianbeinlich.com.
Intro/outro music: “Illusions” by Anno Domini Beats via the YouTube Audio Library.

Intro/outro video by winrood lee via Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/video/windmill...

ABOUT CRES:

For more than 25 years, the Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) and its local chapters have provided education, policy advocacy, and community engagement to accelerate Colorado toward a 100% renewable energy future. CRES is a statewide, non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)3 membership organization that drives environmental, social, and economic benefits for our communities by promoting all forms of renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage, high-performance buildings, and other low- or zero-carbon solutions.

CRES features several local monthly speaker series throughout the state, provides speakers, experts, and workshops, and weighs in on state energy policy.

Learn more about CRES, membership, and how you can sign up to become a speaker or volunteer by visiting our website at https://cres-energy.org.