Phius Training and Programs Administrator Audrey Mueller shares several exciting new course offerings and curriculum improvements.
My name is Audrey, and I’d like to introduce myself to the Phius community as Phius’ new Training and Programs Administrator. In the month I’ve been at Phius, I’ve already had the pleasure of meeting a number of our instructors, partners and current students, and I can tell I’ve joined an energetic, vibrant movement.
I started my time at Phius completing the Passive Building Foundations Training to get a feel for how students experience our course content. As someone with a background in education and humanities, it was a fun, unique opportunity to start a new job by dusting off my physics skills and learn a lot of building science!
In my short time at Phius, the commitment to continuously improving our training offerings has been clear. Below is a look at several key updates to our training programs, including a new METr training, reorganization of our Rater and Verifier trainings and more.
METr (Modeled Energy Transfer) is a new cloud-based energy modeling software, developed by C3RRO and Phius, that improves upon the user experience of WUFI Passive. METr is now the preferred modeling software for Phius Certification, and METr energy models will be required for all performance path projects starting with the next Phius standard release — don’t worry, this won’t be until late 2027 at the earliest. At that point, WUFI Passive models will no longer be accepted.
Phius is offering several trainings in the near future to help make the transition from WUFI to METr as smooth as possible.
While we pivot our instructor-led courses to focus on METr, Phius is still providing support for those working with WUFI Passive with our new online, self-guided courses for WUFI Passive Single Family and Advanced Multifamily. These courses offer a comprehensive tutorial on the WUFI Passive software and can be completed at any time at your own pace.
Phius has refined the structure of our Rater and Verifier training offerings. Previously offered separately, these trainings have now been combined into one streamlined Rater & Verifier course that prepares students for either (or both!) certification pathways and requisite exams.
After completing the training, students will still need to apply for the individual exam (Rater or Verifier) that aligns with their goals and qualifications. Prerequisites for exam eligibility will not change, and Phius Certified Rater and Phius Certified Verifier remain separate certifications.
The first combined Rater & Verifier course will be offered virtually Dec. 7-11 from noon-4 p.m. ET each day.
After a successful delivery of the class earlier this year, we are excited that Phius Trades Training is returning to Albany, New York, Feb. 23-25, 2027!
The Phius Trades Training offers construction professionals the opportunity to build a high-performance pod over the course of three in-person work days. Through the Trades Training, participants get direct experience with implementing passive building designs in a hands-on work environment.
Want to learn more about Phius Trades Training? Get firsthand insight with our recent Trades Training Reflections webinar.
I’m new to the world of passive building, and I’ve found the community to be passionate, helpful and eager to answer questions. As we continue to develop our suite of training programs, I want to hear from our students and other passive building practitioners to find out how our training programs can best serve the community and inform our next steps. I hope that our students find these important updates exciting and useful, and I can’t wait to connect with more of you in the future!
