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At passivehouseacademy, we are passionate about disseminating the knowledge needed to design and build highly energy efficient buildings. It is the only institution in Aotearoa/New Zealand to offer preparation courses for the examination as Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant or Tradesperson. This internationally recognised qualification signals to your customers a profound knowledge of high-performance buildings. Passing the externally assessed exam is not a given. In fact, the pass rate is rather modest. However: many successful applicants went through the courses offered by passivehouseacademy.

Why should you enrol in a course at passivehouseacademy? Read what former students have to say:
'Passive' is a word 'loosely' used in building design/construction today. Having completed the Passive House courses, I can now quantify how a building will perform, as the Passive House standard is based on science, which allows us to accurately predict performance and deliver real results."
Baden Brown, Registered Master Builder, Whanganui

Kara's passion for efficiency & detail creates exactly the right framework for understanding the rigorous approach of Passive House to achieving energy efficiency through quality building design techniques. Her course has demonstrated that solar passive design is only a small part of the solution; given me the knowledge to overcome its deficiencies and create buildings that can run on alone. Kara's passion for efficiency detail creates exactly the right framework for understanding the rigorous approach of Passive House to achieving energy efficient buildings, and shows a way to prove it!
Roger Joyner, Building Designer, Lower Chittering, WA

Even if the title of Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant or Tradesperson is not your goal, the insights offered will help you do a better job creating healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient buildings. Click the Courses tab for more information!


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Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant - Exam preparation course (CEPH2)

Preparation for the externally assessed exam to become a Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant is available as an online course. There will be 4 self-directed weeks of online learning, and 12 weeks of online lectures (2 hours per week), as well as self-directed online learning modules in between lectures. The course builds on material discussed in CEPH1, but goes into more detail. It is structured along the learning targets for the Certified Passive House Designer exam, which can be obtained here.
After course completion, students have the option of sitting the externally assessed exam leading to the internationally recognised qualification Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant.
Please be discouraged from enrolling without possession of the prerequisites. If you have not completed a course of study listed below, you need comparable skills to be successful in this course.
Take the test!

Certified Passive House Tradesperson (CET) classroom course, Dunedin

Passive House is a quality assurance standard. It needs competent hands at all stages for its success. You have the chance to attend a five days classroom training, at the end of which you may sit the externally assessed exam to become a Certified Passive House Tradesperson with the specialisation "Building Envelope".

With this certificate, you signal to your clients and partners that you have an in-depth understanding of the Passive House standard and the techniques to build to it.

This course combines three days of theory with two practical days in the workshop.

Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant - Introduction (CEPH1)


This entry-level course is a 9 weeks online introduction to designing healthy and energy-efficient homes. It will help students to understand the leading order factors in building energy use, and enable them to creatively employ their understanding of energy efficiency fundamentals. The skills gained are a precondition for proceeding to the final preparation course for the examination as Certified Passive House Designer/Consultant.

On passing the test for this course, you will receive a Certificate of Successful Course Completion and an invitation to continue with your education.