Passive House certification ensures that you or your organization are expertly qualified to design high performance, highly efficient buildings to meet Canada’s national green building strategy.
The Pathway to Certification is the perfect combination of three courses;
- Passive House Design and Construction (120A)
- Understanding and Working with PHPP (120B)
- Exam Preparation for Designer/Consultant Exam (120C)
Until June 30, 2026, OAA members can register for any Passive House Canada course at a discounted PHC member price that represents a savings of more than $1,200 for the Pathway to Passive House Designer/Consultant Certification (120P) and additional courses. Email info@passivehousecanada.com to obtain a promotional code.
Passive House Design and Construction (120A)
This course covers the technical, economic and policy elements of Passive House buildings. Participants will learn how to apply Passive House principles in the context of building physics, windows and mechanical systems. Numerous case studies, both domestic and international, will be used to demonstrate current best practices and teach concepts of cost assessment. Participants will also have the opportunity to solidify their learning with interactive exercises throughout the course
- Building science and energy use, overview of Passive House principles
- In-depth look at insulation and airtightness design and construction techniques
- Thermal bridging principles, elimination of thermal bridges through better design and construction
- Window placement and construction, window components and efficiency
- Ventilation system design principles, components, distribution and operation
- Heating and cooling a Passive House building, design principles, components, distribution and operation
- Economics of Passive House design and construction, cost and risk reduction, marketability
- Quality assurance and testing
- Building certification process
Dates:
Day 1-2: Monday December 1, 2025 & Wednesday December 3, 2025 from 9am to 1pm (PT) each day
Day 3-4: Friday December 5, 2025 & Monday December 8, 2025 from 9am to 1pm (PT) each day
Day 5-6: Wednesday December 10, 2025 & Friday December 12, 2025 from 9am to 1pm (PT) each day
Day 7-8: Monday December 15, 2025 & Wednesday December 17, 2025 from 9am to 1pm (PT) each day
Understanding & Working with the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) (120B)
Understanding and Working with PHPP will enable you to take on your first Passive House project. It provides step-by-step instruction for using the PHPP energy modelling software, which is essential for designing a Passive House building.
Participants will learn the structure, inputs and outputs of PHPP, and how to select appropriate climate data sets and record building measurements. The course includes modelling a sample Canadian project, where participants will assess building heat loss, energy demand and summertime overheating risk, as well as looking at the reliability of data sources and how design decisions impact the building energy demand.
Introduction and overview of PHPP, treated floor areas and U-values for assemblies
Heat loss areas and thermal bridging calculations
Ground calculations and energy implications
Window components and inputs, shading, ventilation volumes and airflow
Heating demand and load, summer cooling requirements and ventilation
Domestic hot water energy, electrical and other energy demands, renewable energy (PER)
Dates:
Day 1-2: Tuesday January 6, 2026 & Thursday January 8, 2026 from 9am to 1pm (PT) each day
Day 3-4: Tuesday January 13, 2026 & Thursday January 15, 2026 from 9am to 1pm (PT) each day
Day 5-6: Tuesday January 20, 2026 & Thursday January 22, 2026 from 9am to 1pm (PT) each day
Exam Preparation for Designer/Consultant Exam (120C)
The Passive House Designer/Consultant Exam is challenging, even for experienced architects and building professionals, so thorough preparation is essential. This two-day exam preparation course is specifically designed for those who have completed courses 120A and 120B (or equivalent), and who wish to write the exam to become a Certified Passive House professional. It gives participants the tools required to write a successful test.
Overviews of each topic that could potentially be tested in the exam will be presented and participants will be able to complete example test questions, including a design exercise, and will learn to identify common mistakes and discuss exam time management.
- Insulation and airtightness
- Thermal bridging
- Windows
- Passive House design exercise
- Ventilation and heating
- Economics
- Cumulative exercises and common mistakes
- Exam day: overview and tips
Dates:
Day 1-2: Thursday Jan 29 & Friday Jan 30, 2026 – 9am to 1pm (PT) each day
Day 3-4: Thursday Feb 5 & Friday Feb 6, 2026 – 9am to 1pm (PT) each day