Marc Rosenbaum of energysmiths, posted thoughts on his blog, Thriving on Low Carbon, regarding modifications to the Passive House standard in areas (like New England) that face higher heating or cooling demands than are typically found in a European climate zone. Follow the link to check out the post and the proposed amendment by Marc.

http://blog.energysmiths.com/2012/03/a-proposal-for-amending-the-passivehouse-standard-for-new-england.html