Phius Certified Consultant (CPHC) Training

Phius (Passive House Institute US) trains and certifies professionals, maintains the Phius climate-specific passive building standard, certifies and quality assures passive buildings, certifies high-performance building products and conducts research to advance high-performance building. Phius established the CPHC program in 2008 to distinguish accomplished passive building professionals in the marketplace. CPHC ® is a registered certification mark of Phius used with permission.

Registration for this training occurs on a monthly basis. On the first business day following the registration deadline, registrants will receive instructions via email to gain access to self-guided content and select a live, instructor-led session. Access to self-guided materials cannot be shared ahead of the registration deadline.

Phius recommends choosing a live session start date that is at least 3-5 months after starting self-guided material. See Upcoming Live Sessions below.

Self-Guided
The self-guided content consists of multiple text-based and graphic lessons that participants will work through at their own pace. Expected completion of the self-guided materials is estimated as 40-60 hours, largely depending on the trainee’s knowledge of building science, passive building principles, Phius certification, and high performance enclosures and mechanical systems. Registrants will have access to the self-guided training materials for 12 months from the time of registration through Phius. Registrants should complete the self-guided materials before attending their instructor-led sessions.

Online Exam
Registrants will be enrolled in the Online Exam when they register for training, which is 1 of the 2 required exams for CPHC® certification. The online exam can be taken at a time of your choosing, but must be completed within the 12 month window, and must be completed in one sitting. The Online Exam focuses on the knowledge and content presented in the self-guided lessons, and Phius recommends (but does not require) completing the Online Exam before starting instructor-led sessions. Additional information about the exam can be found on the Phius training site.

Instructor-led Training:
The second phase of the training focuses on design exercises applying passive building principles that are completed as a class and in small groups, as well as WUFI Passive software training. Registrants will receive a WUFI Passive license approximately 2 weeks before their instructor-led sessions begin, and will have an additional 2 hours of self-guided software training to complete before the instructor-led sessions. The instructor-led sessions consist of 24 hours of instructor-led training sessions across 2 weeks followed by a design exam.

Design Exam:
Registrants will be enrolled in the Design Exam that opens at the end of their instructor-led sessions. The exam is due 4 weeks after it opens, and typically takes 20-25 hours to complete.

Trainee support:
As part of the program, Phius offers regularly scheduled virtual “Office Hours” sessions for participants to attend and ask questions of Phius instructors to support their learning. Please check the Phius training site for dates, times, and Zoom links. Additionally, Phius will host an introductory meeting roughly 2 weeks prior to the start of instructor-led sessions to allow networking, program questions, and provide limited technical assistance for the WUFI Passive software.

Live, instructor-led sessions are scheduled by Phius and are subject to change. All sessions are held live-online unless otherwise noted. Please refer to the Phius website* for current upcoming live training dates.

*This page is included here for the purpose of referencing live session dates only. Trainees leveraging Express Grant funding must return to this page and register through BE+ to be eligible for reimbursement. 

Phius strongly recommends choosing a live session that begins at least 3 months after starting self-guided content. Trainees will have the ability to begin self-paced content and select a live session on the day following the BE+ monthly enrollment deadline.

1. Learn the principles of passive building design: heat transfer, air-tightness, thermal bridge free detailing, super-insulation, high-efficiency ventilation, moisture control.

2. Perform passive house verification using WUFI® Passive, the next-generation dynamic modeling tool developed in partnership with Fraunhofer IBP and Owens Corning.

3. Perform energy modeling by completing an entire project including energy balancing (static and dynamic).

4. Implement high performance building science principles and passive house techniques in residential, commercial, and retrofit scenarios across all North American climate zones.

5. Study built examples—including mechanical systems—for each North American climate zone.

6. Learn about suitable materials and components available in local U.S. and Canadian markets, and details for passive house applications according to climate.

7. Learn the best air tightness strategies, thermal bridge free detailing, and how to evaluate your design in THERM.

8. Learn how to assure quality and performance for your client from the design process through construction using Phius Certification and QA/QC.

Phius is an AIA National, International, and Distance CES Provider.
Self-Guided: Earn 50 LU/HSW units
Instructor-led Training: Earn 24 LU/HSW units

Phius CPHC Training is approved by GBCI
Earn 32 CEU

Continuing education credits are available from the Building Performance Institute
Earn 37.13 CE credits

The instructor-led training focuses on energy modeling using WUFI Passive Software. Trainees will have access to a free, limited license for use during the class and for 8 weeks following course completion. WUFI Passive requires Windows OS. If you use a Mac, you must have a working copy of Windows installed. Mac users need to purchase and install VMWare Fusion, Bootcamp, or Parallels, along with a Windows operating system. VMWare Fusion is recommended. Participants will need their own copy of SketchUp for the training.

The Express Grant is designed to help businesses respond quickly to emerging needs and keep employees engaged. With bite-size grants for just-in-time training and no waiting periods between grants, the Express program is the Workforce Training Fund’s fastest path to funding.
You could take this training for FREE. Complete an Express Grant Application.

Course provider: Built Environment Plus
Course ID#: C-2542
Course cost: $2,250 per trainee*
*There is a $150 exam fee, which is not covered under the Express Grant.

Express Grant Eligibility

Employers with 100 or fewer Massachusetts, W-2 employees are eligible to receive Express Program grants. Express Program grant applications must be submitted no fewer than 21 days before the training date. The following documentation is required to apply:

Signed Form W-9
Certificate of Good Standing (COGS) from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, dated within 6 months from the date of application submission
Certificate of Compliance from the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) that is not expired on the date of application submission

The contracting period of approved Express Grants begins 21 days after the grant application date and ends one year from this date. All training must be completed within the contract period to be eligible for reimbursement.

*Review the BE+ Workforce Training Grant webpage for additional eligibility requirements and other updates made by the Commonwealth Corporation.

Full refunds are available only if written notice is provided 7 days prior to course start date. There will be no refund if less than one week’s notice is given.

Please note: Full refunds will be issued less the standard processing fee. In general, rescheduling is always preferred over refunds. Registration transfers are only allowed for rescheduling to a future training and cannot be transferred between individuals.