The Certified Passive House
Tradesperson Course

Become a certified Passive House tradesperson and lead your industry

Home|Passive House courses for Tradespeople|The Certified Passive House Tradesperson Course

About the course

This course is designed to provide you with the knowledge needed to pass the Passive House Tradesperson examination. But you will also gain much more. The coursework provides you with the knowledge and skills needed to apply the Passive House approach to any of your projects – and to lead your industry.

The four-day course has an intensive bootcamp feel and we waste no time in getting down to business. You will quickly learn the scientific principles behind high-performance buildings and how you can help address climate change through your construction approach. Over 32 hours of directed study and an additional four hours of self-guided study, you will deepen your understating of Passive House and how to apply the approach in your everyday work.

Along the way, you will be fully supported by our highly skilled teachers and the rest of the SPA team. You can ask your teacher questions during the live chat or during dedicated question times. And Academy founder Daniel Kress is always ready to jump in with exciting insights and learnings.

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Course Content

Learning objectives

Passive House Basics

  • Overview of Passive House principles and certification
  • Health and comfort considerations
  • Economics of Passive House design and construction
  • Quality assurance and building certification
  • Sustainable construction and design

Building Envelope Specialisation

  • Airtightness and weather- and vapour-control systems
  • Thermal-bridge-free construction
  • Materials and approaches for creating the thermal envelope
  • Construction detailing
  • The properties, components and installation of windows
  • Retrofit of existing structures

Building Services Specialisation

  • Design, components, distribution, and operation of heat-recovery ventilation systems
  • Techniques and strategies for managing heating and cooling
  • The use and optimisation of domestic hot water systems
  • Ventilation, heating and cooling of existing buildings
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Course dates & fees

Feb 2022

$1,897 (including GST)
  • Certified Passive House Tradesperson Course
  • 07.02.2022 – 28.02.2022
  • Every Monday
  • 09:00 – 17:00 AEDT (GMT +10:00) +homework

CLOSED

May 2022

$1,897 (including GST)
  • Certified Passive House Tradesperson Course
  • 05.05.2022 – 13.05.2022
  • Every Thu and Fri
  • 09:00 – 17:00 AEDT (GMT +10:00) +homework

CLOSED

July 2022

$1,897 (including GST)
  • Certified Passive House Tradesperson Course
  • 25.07.2022 – 02.08.2022
  • Every Mon and Fri
  • 09:00 – 17:00 AEDT (GMT +10:00) +homework
Book now

Passive House Tradesperson All-in-package

2,697 (including GST)
  • Includes:PaLaMa Preparation CourseCertified Passive House Tradesperson CourseExam Prep CourseExamDiscount $394**
Learn more

Save on your course fees and receive a certification guarantee by booking The Complete Passive House Tradesperson Certification Package now.

Learn more

What’s included in the Passive House Tradesperson Course

  • Course hours: 32 hours (4 days x 8 hours/day)

  • Passive House Basics (1 day)

  • PH Envelope specialisation (1.5 days)
  • PH Building Services specialisation (1.5 days)
  • Homework practice questions: 1 hour per day, plus recorded solutions
  • Comprehensive guided and self-guided training
  • Access to resources before, during and after your course
  • Exercises with teachers: 1 hour per day, plus recorded solutions

  • Scholarships available through SPA and pro clima

  • Full-time student discount of up to 50% available
  • SPA formula sheet

Course details

Prerequisites

This certification is for anybody interested or involved in the construction process wishing to gain Passive House certification. The teaching and coursework involved are at a level roughly equivalent to high school or a trades course. There are no academic prerequisites, but potential students should be self-motivated.

Materials Required for class

This course is conducted remotely with students participating and accessing study materials via the internet. It is the responsibility of students to ensure they have an adequate data connection. Speeds of 3 MBPS are required for the online course and 16 MBPS are required for the final online exam. Students need to supply their own PC or Mac computer. Other materials required include: a scientific calculator and black A4 two-ring binders.

It is recommended that students have coloured pens, post-it notes, and web camera and microphone capabilities in their device.

Materials provided for class

In addition to having access to live sessions, students will be given access to session recordings in which Academy founder Daniel Kress and Julia Kiefer explain Passive House principles and answers questions. Students can watch and re-watch these as required, at a time that suits them. The slides used in the course will be provided as a printed workbook, with free delivery available across Australia. Handouts and exercises are provided in a downloadable PDF format to allow students to print and complete them multiple times if desired. Both workbooks and printed handouts will be required for the final exam.

Is this course for you?

This course is intended for anyone involved in the construction sector, including but not limited to builders, site supervisors, carpenters, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, window installers and thermal insulation installers.

Access

Live access with teachers present, the four full-day tradesperson course, including the Passive House basics, the thermal envelope specification and the building envelope specialisation and the exam.

The Complete Passive House Tradesperson Certification Package
Students are further supported via pre-recorded and printed materials including session recordings, webinars, online introductory courses, downloadable homework exercises and mock exams.

Structure of the
Certified Passive House Tradesperson Course

Day 1. Welcome and Passive House Basics. (9.00 am – 5.00 pm)

We start today with an exercise intended to increase your focus throughout the four days of the course. Next, we introduce you to the basics of Passive House in an engaging and accessible way. You will learn about the health, economic and comfort benefits of the approach. You’ll also be introduced to the key principles of the Passive House approach. At the end of the day we will do some exercises and provide you with some homework.

After a warm-up session, we begin a deep dive into the different Building Envelope components of the Passive House approach. Today, the focus is on the opaque building envelope and how to calculate the thermal performance of walls, roofs and floors. You will learn about the different elements of the building envelope and how to avoid mould, moisture and thermal problems. You will also learn about blower-door testing and what can go wrong with such tests. At the end of the day we will do some exercises and provide you with some homework.

Today you will learn about one of the most crucial elements of the Passive House – windows. You will discover the role windows play in building the envelope and how to accurately calculate their performance. Additionally, we will look at retrofitting the thermal envelope and start to look at heat recovery ventilation systems.

Following a review of the homework exercises, we will focus on the role of ventilation and learn to design, size and to commission heat-recovery ventilation systems. You learn different heating and cooling strategies as well as how to optimise your domestic hot water systems.

Teachers

Daniel Kress

Daniel started his career in the construction sector as a carpenter employed on sites in his native Germany. He next worked in Ireland on what was then the world’s biggest modular residential project. After 10 years on the trades side of building, Daniel completed a Master of Civil Engineering and worked as a researcher on EU sustainable building projects.

Daniel has been based in Australia since 2015, and in 2017 he founded the Smart Plus Academy. His vision is to help build a more sustainable construction sector and to promote dwellings that are comfortable and liveable while using minimal energy.

Daniel is a Certified Passive House trainer and through his work at the Smart Plus Academy and other institutions has helped train more than 50 per cent of the certified Passive House professionals in Australia today. Daniel’s philosophy is to “inspire and lead with passion and love” and “to contribute to society through teaching that inspires growth”.

Julia Kiefer

After studying architecture in her native Germany, Julia moved to Australia in 2006. She then worked for leading architectural practices in Melbourne, Perth and Darwin, along the way gaining an understanding of Australia’s different geographic zones and the extremes of its climate.

Deeply passionate about sustainability and energy-efficient building design, Julia graduated as a Certified Passive House Designer in 2018. She has since made it her mission to bring about change in the building sector and to educate Australians about comfortable, healthy and sustainable living spaces.

In 2020, Julia joined Smart Plus Academy as assistant Passive House trainer. She now educates building professionals across Australia about the Passive House standard.

What our students say

EXCELLENT Based on 46 reviews.
Tess S
Tess S
2022-04-07
Verified
I had such a wonderful experience and felt completely supported every step of the way during the course. Highly recommend if you're looking to become a Certified Passive House Designer!
Pablo Shopen
Pablo Shopen
2022-04-06
Verified
A comprehensive and challenging course providing a very strong foundation for your passive house journey. Julia and Daniel are knowledgeable, inspirational and understanding teachers who are very good at explaining complex topics and condensing the huge volume of information. I would highly recommend this wonderful course.
srinitha raju
srinitha raju
2022-04-06
Verified
Daniel Kress brings this amazing energy to class, seeing how passionate he is and his belief in passive house has motivated me all the more! The passive house designer course is very well curated to the T, they have left no stone unturned and ensured they detailed every aspect keeping in mind that learners from various levels of experience undertake this course. As a sustainability graduate with very little industry experience I found it rather easy to navigate through the course because of their systematic approach.They provide you with all the required study materials and their 6-day online course delivered by Julia gives you a complete walkthrough of all conceps. Julia and the support team are very helpful whenever you need assistance in any way! It's been an honour to undertake this course with SPA and I couldn't recommend it more! To anyone looking to start their Passive house journey, THIS IS THE PLACE TO COME!
Stuart McKenzie Hall
Stuart McKenzie Hall
2022-01-12
Verified
Excellent, detailed and thorough course, well presented perfect for a serious step in improving your Passive House Designer journey and obtaining a valuable qualification. Highly recommended.
sam foutoulis
sam foutoulis
2021-11-24
Verified
Great course tought by a passionate experienced team!
Madhu Priya
Madhu Priya
2021-10-13
Verified
I can say with utmost confidence that I made the best use of the Sydney lockdown by enrolling myself in the Passive House Designer course by the Smart Plus Academy. Initially I was a bit skeptical about undertaking the course since I had just completed my Masters degree and had no prior industrial experience in this field and hence was not sure if I will be able to understand the concepts. But the course material was designed in such a way that it explained in great detail about every aspect of Passive House design. The effort put in by Daniel and Julia in delivering the concepts and engaging with the students through the homework tasks and exercises ensured a great level of understanding. The support team was also very prompt in answering our queries. Clearing the final exam was a cake walk with the level of preparation that we were put through. Overall, it was a very knowledgeable experience and I highly recommend this course for those who aspire to bring about a positive change in the built environment.
Wei-Chih Lin
Wei-Chih Lin
2021-10-09
Verified
I enrolled in the Certified Passive House Designer Course and I highly recommend the course. The course tutors Daniel and Julia, and the team were very helpful, professional, and knowledgable.
Nick J
Nick J
2021-10-06
Verified
Good course and content in preparation for examination. Supportive team prior to enrolling to discuss course suitability for my needs.
Andy Armstrong
Andy Armstrong
2021-10-06
Verified
Highly recommend! Efficient, passionate and professional educators who go the extra mile to provide Passive House courses for designers and builders. Students gain more than just a qualification, but also continued communication and support from the SmartPlusAcademy family!
Whisker Architecture
Whisker Architecture
2021-09-30
Verified
I wish I'd done it sooner. My only advice to future students is to make sure you have the time to study without interruptions. Running a new business whilst doing the course was a challenge!

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How it works

1. Book The Complete Passive Tradesperson Certification Package

2. Arrange your dates with the SPA team

3. Complete the course

4. Lead your industry

Save on your course fees and receive a certification guarantee by booking The Complete Passive House Tradesperson Certification Package now.

Learn more