We can advise the following:
- Go through the Examination Regulations & Learning Targets carefully and reflect on your confidence with each topic. Mind the gaps - then go ahead and bridge them.
- Study the Passive House Concept and its definition, criteria and practical implementation to detailed level. Sketch Passive House suitable details for different construction methods; regular build-ups and of course joints, window installations and the like. Customers will expect you to actually design such a building and be aware of all important elements.
- Internalize the “rules of thermal bridge free design” and their rationale. They are straightforward and invaluable guidance in everyday practice.
- Get familiar with the importance of airtightness, design and implementation of airtight layers and airtightness testing (methodology & practical execution)
- Study PHPP and energy balancing in general. What entities are required to compose the energy balance of a building? What is their respective impact? How does the balance react on changes of different parameters?
- Get proficient with actual PHPP use by entering a number of examples from A to Z. How can you make them a Passive House? Get valuable advices from the PHPP handbook! To understand what happens in PHPP you should also know how e.g. U-Values are calculated. Make use of the possibility to retrace the main algorithms in the spreadsheet formula.
- Get familiar with basic economic life cycle assessment (present value, annuity). Are you able to e.g. calculate the residual value based on given boundary conditions?
- Generally: Repeat and rehearse any calculations, sketches… During the exam, you must be able to quickly analyse what is given and required and set to work.