How policies impact Phius certification
Phius, the passive building standard and certifier, started tracking the correlation between state-led policies and the impact on certification results. Sustainable and energy-efficient certifications are rewarded in many states with tax credits or other incentive programs.
According to Phius Policy Specialist, Zoe Rader, these policies may have a strong positive relation to the amount of projects certified. Currently, the Phius Certification is rewarded in 20 total state or municipalities’ low-income housing tax credit program guidelines and 11 statewide building codes also offer Phius as a stretch compliance path. Additionally, there were six incentive programs introduced in 2025 that dedicate funing to professional training, studies and cash for Phius Certified units.
“Two states in particular really stood out in terms of number of policy projects: Connecticut and New Jersey,” said Rader. “Out of 80 total Phius projects in Connecticut, 50 of those projects were linked to policies!”
