Performance Systems Academy Curriculum

Giving you the tools you need to make the difference today

There are more than 76 million residential buildings and nearly 5 million commercial buildings in the U.S. today.  These buildings together use one-third of all the energy consumed in the U.S., and two-thirds of all electricity.  The ever-increasing demand for increasingly scarce resources is a basic driving force that will create inevitable growth for weatherization and building performance services.  There is a growing “green” building performance industry, and this industry, like other industries before it, requires standards for quality.  It also requires the development of efficient business systems to support production, and the creation of efficient and inspiring ways to train people in its methods and knowledge.  

The Performance Systems Academy training program seeks to disseminate information on building performance sciences that will reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels, while increasing energy efficiency in building and remodeling practices.  The curriculum is designed to support the standards and requirements of a wide variety of organizations involved in the building performance industry / movement.  These most significantly include:

  • The Building Performance Institute – A certification entity focusing on installing contractors and weatherization agencies.
  • The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Program – The US EPA program providing marketing support to installation contractors.
  • The Home Energy Ratings Systems – The national system for calculating and comparing the energy performance of both new and existing houses.

The Performance Systems Academy curriculum is the first training program developed that incorporates all aspects of becoming a whole house building performance contractor.  This includes technical investigation, installation, remediation, and a full range of related business practices.  It has been built and tested through the California Energy Commission’s PIER project - in conjunction with the California Building Performance Contractor’s Association.  This curriculum has been developed in accordance with the goals of the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) report.  PATH is a government-funded project to advance new technologies in the home building industry, so as to improve the affordability and value of new and existing homes.   

The Performance Systems Academy curriculum provides contractors with a birds-eye map of the building performance territory.  It’s designed to help them grow their businesses and advance their employees’ knowledge of building performance sciences.  The curriculum is designed to support a long-term process of learning and cross-training, providing a pathway for contractors to go beyond meeting the minimum requirements for testing or program participation.The key to energy-efficient building performance is taking control of the systems in the building responsible for the transfer and use of energy, for moisture transport and air movement.  This strategy of business and technical process control and Total Quality Management is the fundamental philosophy behind this curriculum.

Designed to be delivered as a linear course – or as individual modules that can be mixed and matched to meet the needs of different target groups – we use this curriculum to train and certify Building Analysts to the specifications of the Building Performance Institute (www.BPI.org), and the fundamentals modules can be delivered as a foundation for a wide variety of "green jobs" or advanced weatherization training.

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Curriculum Prospectus Downloads

 

Skill-Builder Field Procedures integrated into this training

In support of this training, PSD has also developed a set of step-by-step inspection and installation procedures. These instructions can be characterized as expert guidance written in very basic language.  Each procedure addresses an aspect of a whole house energy efficiency work, and breaks it down into sub tasks and manageable components. The components are provided in a checklist that can be used by the instructor and students as a study guide, and also as a way for the instructor to conduct a field assessment of the student's ability to conduct each procedure. The documents cover many types of building performance audits and energy improvement installation activities, providing direction and techniques that can make the difference between success and failure. Designed to be used in training, or as preparation for field activities, the following tasks are covered:

  • Performing a General Inspection
  • Interviewing for Occupant Concerns
  • Performing a Site Inspection
  • Inspecting for Health Durability IAQ and Safety
  • Inspecting the Thermal Boundary
  • Inspecting for Combustion Efficiency and Flue Capacity
  • Performing a Moisture Inspection
  • Inspecting for Duct Leakage
  • Inspecting Heat Exchangers
  • Performing a Blower Door Test
  • Inspecting Conditioned Zones
  • Inspecting Transition Zones
  • Performing a Baseload Appliance Inspection
  • Inspecting Mechanical Ventilation Systems
  • Inspecting and Diagnosing Combustion Appliance Zones
  • Inspecting Heating / Cooling Ductwork Design and Airflow
  • Inspecting Appliance Venting and Vent Pressure
  • Inspecting for Carbon Monoxide
  • Inspecting the Building Envelope
  • Cooling System Inspection
  • Test-Out and Documentation
  • General Installation Guidelines
  • Air Sealing Installation
  • Insulation Installation
  • Lighting Installation
  • Window Installation
  • Repairing Air Distribution Systems
  • Moisture Control and IAQ Installation

Cost: $3500 annual site license fee ($1000 annual renewal), plus per-textbook cost:

  • $100 per manual with binder and tabs, plus postage

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Curriculum Overview & Q&A Webinars

These free webinars will allow you to learn about Performance Systems Academy's curriculum, and have your questions answered. Pre-registration is required - please click on the link for the date you would like to attend.

For more information, please email: academy@psdconsulting.com