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Courses taught outdoors, in January, on purpose.

Envelope diagnostics learned in a warm classroom does not survive contact with a −32 °C morning. Our courses put practitioners on scaffolding and behind a blower door in the conditions the work actually happens in.

Courses

All fees in CAD · member rates in brackets

Field school · 3 days · in person, Winnipeg

Envelope Diagnostics in the Field

Three days at the reference wall yard covering blower-door set-up and temperature correction, thermographic survey technique under winter delta-T, smoke and pressure tracing to find the leak rather than measure it, moisture meter practice on real wet assemblies, and report writing that will stand up when it is disputed. Class size is capped at 24 so that everyone runs the equipment rather than watching.

Who it is for: envelope consultants, energy advisors, contractors' quality leads, building officials. No prior testing experience required.
You leave with: the ability to plan and run a defensible whole-building airtightness test, and a written report on a real building reviewed by an instructor.
Runs: January and February each winter, plus a September intake.

$1,450 member $1,160 · 21 PD hours Next intake, 19 January 2027

Certificate · 8 weeks online + 2 lab days

Cold-Climate Hygrothermal Design

Eight weekly online sessions of two hours, followed by two days in the Winnipeg laboratory. Covers vapour control strategy for zones 6 through 8, the exterior-insulation ratio rule and the conditions under which it fails, air leakage as a moisture transport mechanism, hygrothermal modelling practice with a critical eye on boundary conditions, and interpreting monitored data from the station network. Assessed by a design assignment on a real assembly, marked against measured field behaviour.

Who it is for: architects, building engineers, envelope specialists and specification writers working in cold climates.
Prerequisite: two years of practice or completion of the field school.
Cohorts: September and February, 30 places each.

$2,380 member $1,900 · 34 PD hours Next cohort, 21 September 2026

Clinic · 1 day · in person or online

Detailing Clinic: Thermal Bridges

A working day spent on the details from the Thermal Bridge Registry: what the measured Ψ-values are, how far modelled estimates drift from them, and how to draw a junction that keeps its continuity through construction sequencing. Bring a detail from a live project and leave with it marked up.

$620 member $495 · 7 PD hours

Briefing · half day · online

Envelope Commissioning for Owners

Written for property managers, housing authorities and public-sector project leads rather than for technical staff. What to require in a specification, what testing to pay for and when in the schedule, and how to read the report you are handed at the end.

$340 member $270 · 4 PD hours

Envelope Diagnostics Technician

EDT designation · since 2024

The EDT designation records that a practitioner can plan, run and report an envelope diagnostic test to a consistent standard. It is not a licence and does not replace professional registration; it is a statement that someone has been examined and watched doing the work.

To qualify, a candidate completes the field school, passes a two-hour written examination covering test standards, correction methods and reporting, and submits one witnessed field test judged against a published rubric. Candidates who do not pass the witnessed test may repeat it once at no charge.

To stay current, holders complete 24 professional development hours every three years, of which at least 8 must be practical, and re-affirm the code of practice. Renewal is $145 CAD, waived for members at the practitioner tier or above.

Two hundred and six practitioners currently hold the designation across seven provinces and two territories. The public register is searchable in the technical library.

At a glance

Requirements

Field school	Required
Written examination	2 hours · 70 % to pass
Witnessed field test	1 · rubric published
Examination fee	$390 CAD
Renewal cycle	3 years · 24 PD hours
Renewal fee	$145 CAD

Ask about eligibility

In-house delivery

For firms and public bodies

Option

Course at your office

Any course delivered on your premises for up to 20 staff. Fee is the member rate for 12 places plus instructor travel; additional places at the member rate.

Option

Project-specific workshop

A day built around your own drawings and test results — most often requested before a large retrofit tender. Quoted per engagement, typically $3,800 CAD.

Option

Northern delivery

Courses run in northern communities with a housing authority partner are subsidised by the Institute; local participants pay the student rate. Ask about the current schedule.

Request in-house training