The British Columbia Institute for Technology’s School of Construction and the Environment is offering a new online course, Zero Energy Building Fundamentals. The course, which runs February 15 to March 10, aims to bring building-science instruction to industry professionals around the province. Instructors include a building scientist, an integrated-design process facilitator, an energy advisor, a carpenter, and an engineer.

This course will help students develop their knowledge of building science to support and inform strategies to meet the requirements of the Upper Steps of the BC Energy Step Code including Net-Zero Ready and the Passive House standard. The course will first introduce to the performance metrics of both the BC Energy Step Code, Net Zero Ready (using NRCan’s EnerGuide Rating System) and the Passive House standard. The course will compare the value and characteristics of these buildings, with a focus on residential buildings. Students will become familiar with the potential impacts of buildings operation on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. With a firm understanding of the regulatory context, the bulk of course learning will focus on a reviewing the 6 principles of high performance buildings and fundamental principles of building science including heat transfer, vapour diffusion, air flow, and moisture management. The course will review properties of construction materials, including their appropriate application and combined performance as part of various higher performance assemblies or systems. Students will compare the performance of various materials and evaluate their performance in different applications. This course will provide a solid foundation for subsequent Zero-Energy Building courses which take a deeper dive into the science, designs solutions, and construction techniques for airtightness, enclosures, mechanical systems, and ventilation. This course is offered online.

Register on the BCIT website.