Online Training Course FAQs

It’s true that a classroom course can offer advantages of group discussion and networking that are unavailable online… but classrooms also have many disadvantages. If you miss a session, or get tired, or want to repeat a learning topic, then there’s no repeat button! In an intensive classroom course over 6 full days need you to keep concentration levels high at all times, or run the risk of missing important information….it’s hard work for you and for us.

Online you can access the material at the pace you need, fit learning sessions in around your busy schedule and there’s no requirement to take 6 days off work, nor any added costs and time commitment for travel and accommodation to and from the sessions.

Best of all, moving our courses away from the classroom and online has allowed us to reduce the price of our training by 70%, bringing this important curriculum within affordable range of all Canadians

Firstly, the range of material is now significantly broader than our former 6 day classroom course, and it’s solely focused on North American-appropriate construction solutions. Overall, our new online training format, with video streaming via the industry-leading Wistia platform, can significantly increase the quality, speed and retention of your learning for the extensive and challenging Passive House curriculum.

The use of pre-recorded and edited training videos means the material is more focused than is possible in any classroom – where sessions are often interrupted, leading to frustration from attendees of widely different educational backgrounds and learning speeds.

The new Passive House Design & Construction online course has 13 separate Modules which cover every aspect of Passive House design and construction, via a collection of over 90 videos, each of which is between 3 and 45 minutes in length.

At CAD $499(+GST) it compares pretty well with courses costing over $2000 plus travel and accomodation. We’re sure this is by far the most comprehensive and best value Passive House learning option available anywhere!

Yes – each of our videos include a Comments section, where any participant can submit questions to the trainer. These Q&As will remain on the platform for the benefit of all.

No – it’s up to you how you use the material within your 35 day registration period. Some of the Modules include relevant background videos (e.g. YouTube material) which have been popular in previous Passive House courses, and these are included to give a wider perspective, but you can choose not to watch them…

Yes, unlike classroom sessions, we’ve included a quiz at the end of each major course Module, (8 in total) so you can check and assess your own learning progress. In addition, there are also learning exercises in most of the Modules, to give you practice with this material.

Yes, each Module contains a downloadable pdf of some selected course slides, as an aide-memoire.

With the main course, we also offer a PHPP Introduction as an add-on, which contains exercises designed to familiarize you with this important tool for all Passive House design (1-day course). We also offer an updated version of our acclaimed Exam Prep Course. Both these extra courses can be purchased for $99 when you register for the main course – otherwise they are priced separately at $199 each.

Yes. For all course participants who do sign up for the full training course, watch the core videos and take the online quizzes, we’ll email you a course attendance certificate, assuming you score above the 60% threshold mark overall. We need to assess your quiz answers in this way to be fair to the professional associations who are seeking proof of attendance and learning.

Yes, you can watch any video a second time, and we also recommend you stop the video during viewing, where necessary, to complete any course exercises. We also recommend you take separate notes on the main parts of the course material, to improve your retention. You can repeat any quiz until you achieve an 80% mark.

The full course is available to you for 35 days from time of signup. Because there is a lot of material to cover (i.e. 7 days equivalent classroom time), we recommend that you sign up only when you are ready to commit to the course, not leave it all to the last few days!

Yes – CanPHI is well aware that students of architecture, technology and engineering represent the future of design and construction, therefore we offer discounts to any group of registered students on accredited courses, who sign up together. Email us for details: info@passivehouse-staging.wlxyml6-liquidwebsites.com

Yes, if a company signs up 3 or more staff we can offer a discount – contact info@passivehouse-staging.wlxyml6-liquidwebsites.com for details.

You can take the separate Building Science for Passive House short course (i.e. Module 13 in the full course) at a cost of CAD $149.

No, each registration is person-specific, like any classroom course, and you sign up for one device only, so you cannot transfer a course registration between your smartphone and your laptop. Therefore it’s important that you log into the course initially with the device you intend to use throughout.

No, each registration is person-specific, so you cannot share a single course registration  between colleagues. We have already dropped the price of Passive House training drastically for your benefit, so we ask you to respect this policy, and to sign our Terms and Conditions stating that your registration is person-specific.

Yes, that’s one of the main goals of this training program. We’ve had great success in preparing candidates for the official international CPHD exam since 2013. To prepare specifically for the exam we recommend our separate Exam Prep Course, which is offered at a 50% reduction in price when purchased with this course.

No, we’ve made the PHPP Introduction into a separate course, since not everyone will want to use it in modeling Passive House buildings.

It consists of 6 videos and a range of hands-on exercises. Most people should manage to view the videos and complete the exercises in approximately one full day.

We’ve cut the price of this PHPP Introduction by 50% for those who sign up with the main training course – it’s now just CAD $99, or it’s available separately for CAD $199.

You have 30 days to complete the PHPP Introduction course.

No, but participants are provided with solutions to all the exercises.

Yes, that’s the point – we provide you with an unlicensed early version of the software which is adequate for the exercises, or you can of course use a current registered version of PHPP.

No – it is simply an introduction to the software. Some advanced PHPP courses are now available from other Passive House organizations, including PHI.

No, you do not need a licensed version of PHPP, since we provide design exercises using a non-licensed early version of the software. However we encourage everyone to purchase a current licensed version (available here) and try PHPP modelling since it is at the heart of all Passive House design, and it’s a modest investment for such a powerful and globally-used tool.

No – it is simply an introduction to the software. Some advanced PHPP courses are now available from other Passive House organizations, including PHI.

No, each registration is person-specific, like any classroom course, and you sign up for one device only, so you cannot transfer a course registration between your smartphone and your laptop. Therefore it’s important that you log into the course initially with the device you intend to use throughout.

No, each registration is person-specific, so you cannot share a single course registration  between colleagues. We have already dropped the price of Passive House training drastically for your benefit, so we ask you to respect this policy, and to sign our Terms and Conditions stating that your registration is person-specific.

This is an amazing resource for getting you through the highly challenging international CPDH exam – it contains over 150 exam-type questions and full solutions, which will give you the best preparation available anywhere for passing the official PHI exam.

The exam prep course consists of 10 non-narrated videos, covering each of the major Passive House topics covered in the international CPHD exam. Each video contains a wide range of typical exam-type questions, together with full solutions. Users are encouraged to try answering each question, before looking at the solution – this will give you the best outcome for your studying.

That depends on your background – many engineers and architects will be more familiar with these kinds of exam questions than others. We recommend you make a serious effort to study for the 2 weeks preceeding the exam, as it is highly challenging for every participant.

This is without doubt the world’s leading qualification in energy-efficient building design, and is now recognized on every continent. See here for more information.

The exam is set four times annually by the Passivhaus Institut in Germany, and normally offered twice per year by CanPHI in both Ottawa and Calgary (typically in mid-June and in early December). You can register here online via CanPHI, or with any other learning organization which offers it – it’s always the same exam on any given date, no matter what your location worldwide. Note that you need to register for the exam at least one month before the scheduled date, as we need a threshold number of participants each time.

On signing up you get unlimited access to the Exam Prep course for 3 months, so we suggest you plan and register to sit the Exam during this period

No, each registration is person-specific, so you cannot share a single course registration  between colleagues. We have already dropped the price of Passive House training drastically for your benefit, so we ask you to respect this policy, and to sign our Terms and Conditions stating that your registration is person-specific.

No, each registration is person-specific, like any classroom course, and you sign up for one device only, so you cannot transfer a course registration between your smartphone and your laptop. Therefore it’s important that you log into the course initially with the device you intend to use throughout.

This Module is presented by wood engineer and experienced Passive House designer Tomaz Stich, and it consists of 5 videos with exercises. It clearly shows the theory and practice required for the design and construction of safe and durable building assemblies, and introduces you to a powerful online tool to easily model the hygrothermic performance of any type of wall or roof, in any climate zone.

Because sound building science knowledge is very rare in our wood-based construction industry, despite its importance – it is barely mentioned in most trade or professional schools. And yet this knowledge is critical for ensuring building durability, especially in superinsulated assemblies as needed for Passive House construction.

No, this course does not have any quiz at the end.

Most people will get through the videos and tutorials in half a day, but most previous participants of this Module find the online software tool quite addictive, and are motivated to spend a lot more time developing their skills with it.

This Module is already included in our main online course in Passive House Design & Construction. However it can be purchased separately for CAD $149 (+GST)

Yes, we introduce you to a powerful and useful free online hygrothermic analysis tool which can be easily learned and used to model the vapour diffusion characteristics of any type of building assembly.