Sustainable Homes Professional (SHP)

Develop the technical expertise to design & build high performance homes.

Portland, OR
November 8, 2024 - January 17, 2025
45 CEs

Seats and discounts are available on a first come, first served basis

The SHP in-person course is back! For the first time since 2019, SHP is available in-person to offer the most comprehensive training in sustainable home building available in the Northwest.

SHP covers a broad spectrum of cutting-edge design and construction practices that go beyond the basics of energy efficiency. Whether you're aiming to master durable envelope details, indoor air quality, high performance mechanical equipment, water conservation, and beyond, this course provides the holistic education necessary to excel in today's green building industry.

Participants with be led through the entire spectrum of high performance building to gain practical insights on:

Building science fundamentals & moisture management
High performance wall & roof assemblies
HVAC product selection & integrated system design
Water conservation techniques
Indoor air quality, green material considerations & health impacts
Above-code builidng programs, cash incentives & tax credits

Join us in Portland this Fall and benefit from our NW-specific training that addresses building codes, climate-specific challenges, and market trends. Led by industry experts — Alex Boetzel of Earth Advantage, Stephen Aiguier of Green Hammer Design Build, and Josh Salinger of Birdsmouth Design-Build — this course is tailored for professionals eager to satisfy NW housing market demand with skills and knowledge that are both deep and broad.

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Why SHP?

SHP is a comprehensive and experience-driven education program for residential building and design professionals who are looking to take their projects to the next level of quality craftmanship. In today's rapidly evolving industry, staying ahead is more than just keeping up with new trends - it means mastering them.

Unlike other training programs that are available nationwide and/or focus narrowly on energy efficiency, SHP provides a more localized and diversified educational experience. It's designed for professionals who want a complete understanding of sustainable home building, with the flexibility to tailor learning to their needs.

The SHP course will also equip you with the knowledge and tools to overcome common barriers and misconceptions of how to meet/exceed the latest building codes and qualify for financial incentives, ensuring your projects are both sustainable and future-proof.

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Key Learning Outcomes

Holistic Building Science

From fundamentals to advanced concepts, learn about building science, moisture managment, and high-performance assemblies and mechanicals.

Local Focus

Gain insights into how these principles and best practices apply specifically to NW-specific climate zones, market conditions, and above-code cash incentive programs.

Professional Networking

Engage with local industry leaders and peers, building connections that will help you grow your business and stay ahead in the Portland building community.

Flexible Learning

Participate in a blend of in-person and online learning experiences designed to fit your schedule while offering the depth and rigor necessary for professional advancement.

Project-Based Learning

Apply your knowledge to real-world scenarios, working on a final project that involves designing a high-performance building or conducting a research project relevant to your market.

Comprehensive Curriculum

Cover every aspect of sustainable building from design to implementation, ensuring you leave with sustainable design goals that result in a comfortable, durable, healthy home for your buyers.

Third-Party Programs

Gain a builder / designer-centric approach to achieving certification standards: 45L Tax Credit, Energy Trust EPS, Zero Energy Ready, Earth Advantage®, Passive House, LEED®, ENERGY STAR, Living Building Challenge, & more.

Watch 2023 Showcase

"Even as someone aware and concerned about sustainable building, it has been easy to slip back into some older and standard building habits and practices. Bringing myself and those I work with back up to speed in regards to healthy building for the planet, the workers, and the occupants is inspiring and a needed focus to maintain within an occupation that is often seen as rushed and focused on profit over pride of workmanship. I love getting good construction details correct, and working with materials that are durable, beautiful, and make a home feel comfortable, healthy, and responsible, the way it should feel. "

-Mikey Wilson, Compound Construction

"As a carpenter and now project manager I really found it insightful how this course connects the sustainable building design principles to the logistics on the on site installation. Often times journeymen carpenters don't really understand WHY they are building in a certain way, but this course looks at the building of a home from a wider viewing angle and helps connect the WHY with the HOW."

-Kyle Velvis, Project Manager, Ethan Beck Homes

"This training gave me valuable knowledge and understanding of sustainable building practices that I have implemented as the site supervisor at Habitat for Humanity. There are SO many practices we have adopted that work within our budget and have allowed us to build 11 net zero homes this year! The incentives and resources advertised in the training have been invaluable to us."

-Grace Wegner, Vice President of Construction, Bend / Redmond Habitat for Humanity

SHP Designation

Achieve Earth Advantage's Sustainable Homes Professional (SHP) designation by meeting course requirements. Access ongoing support through Earth Advantage's resources and SHP community, including logos, registry listings, and marketing support to gain visibility and distinguish yourself as a leader in sustainable home building. SHP is complementary to other industry credentials, like LEED AP, LEED GA, Phius CPHB / CPHC, BPI, SBA, HERS Rater, and other.

Don't miss this opportunity to lead in the green building industry by gaining expertise that is both broad in scope and deeply rooted in local knowledge.

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Course Features

The Sustainable Homes Professional (SHP) training offers an immersive, foundational training that has long been a favorite among NW building professionals. The SHP accreditation program was first offered in 2008 and has been offered over 20 times across Oregon, all the while maintaining a longstanding reputation for depth, applied learning, and outstanding quality. The SHP training program was then redesigned into a self-paced online format in 2020 and has since expanded the nationwide network of SHPs. The SHP Fall 2024 delivery will be the first in-person delivery since 2019. This training is for builders, developers, architects, designers, contractors, code officials, energy raters, consultants, engineers, home inspectors, program staff, and educators.

Lecture, discussion, hands-on exercises, and short assignments based on real-world experience
Guest speakers that share their past projects and expertise on issues that are critical to building high-quality homes successfully
Behind-the-walls site visits to under-construction green certified homes with builders, designers, and raters on-site to explain approaches, reveal cost / benefit analysis, and answer questions
SHP resource guide and textbook
A final project that progresses throughout the course and puts principles into practice by guiding you through designing your own high performance building or research project

Where?

Earth Advantage Office
PAE Living Building
151 SW 1st Ave, Portland, OR 97204

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When?

November 8, 2024 - January 17, 2025
6 modules taking place every other Friday from 9 AM - 5 PM
(45 total training hours)

*Note: a limited number of absences can be made up via the on-demand SHP Online Training program.

SHPs are also required to complete a minimum of two site visit trainings (1.5 hours each) available via in-person or online options.

Module 1: Green Building Principles & Programs
November 8

Module 2: Applied Building Science Fundamentals
November 22

Module 3: High Performance Building Envelopes
December 6

Module 4: Mechanical Systems & Performance Testing
December 20

Module 5: Health, Materials, & Water
January 3

Module 6: Final Presentations
January 17

Continuing Education Credits

*Note: CEs are provided on a per module basis in case of absence

AIA 45 LU/HSW

OR CCB 45 CEs

BPI 22.5 Units

ICC 4.5 CEs

OR Real Estate Agency 45 CEs

EA Broker Renewal 45 CEs

AGA Renewal 45 CEs

The Trainers

Alex Boetzel | Head of Residential Innovations
Earth Advantage

Alex is Head of Residential Innovations at Earth Advantage and applies his 30 years of experiece of sustainable design and construction to research and training, helping to make the benefits of high-performance building available to everyone. Alex has a deep knowledge of building science and its real-world applications and is an expert in low-carbon building assemblies and systems. Since 2006 Alex has worked and consulted on some of the first LEED for Home, Passive House, and Zero Energy projects in the Pacific Northwest, including the first commercial Living Building in Oregon and the largest ZE multifamily projects in the PNW.

Stephen Aiguier | Founder & President
Green Hammer Design Build

Stephen founded Green Hammer in 2002, evolving the business into a full service design-build firm committed to advancing the highest standards for green building. An SHP, Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC), and building science expert, he has been a pioneer of Oregon's green building movement and has been involved with many of the nation's highest scoring LEED Platinum Homes and first residential and commercial Passive House buildings in the Pacific NW. Stephen has been invited to speak at every major green building conference across the country and he has taught the SHP course annually since 2010.

Josh Salinger | Founder & Principal
Birdsmouth Design-Build

Joshua Salinger is founder and principle of Birdsmouth Design-Build in Portland, OR. Birdsmouth is a residential Design-Build firm focused on addressing climate change through the built environment through zero energy new homes and deep energy retrofits. He is an instructor for both Earth Advantage’s Sustainable Homes Professional program and PHIUS’ Certified Passive House Builder training program. He sits on the board of Passive House Northwest and also sits on the technical committee of Zero Energy Ready Oregon. Additionally, he is an EEBA Zero Energy Home Professional, an ‘Expert Member’ on Green Building Advisor and contributes content to Fine Homebuilding magazine. Please learn more about Birdsmouth Design Build and see examples of their work at www.birdsmouthpdx.com.

Guest Speakers

Bruce Manclark Earth Advantage
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James Metoyer EnerCity Collaborative
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Rebecca Heilig Earth Advantage
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Allison A. Bailes III Energy Vanguard
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Ian Nimmo 475 High Performance Building Supply
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Course Fee

$1550

Minority and Women Business Enterprise Certification (MBE/WBE) Certified Companies (proof provided upon request) & Cooling Portland CDPs

$1650

Earth Advantage Builders, Earth Advantage Raters, ZERO Members, Energy Trust of Oregon Trade Allies (proof provided upon request)

$1750

General Admission

Discounts

$150 OFF the first 15 registrants, thanks to support from BetterBuiltNW

$50 OFF for Groups of 2 or more (applies to each registrant)

Energy Trust of Oregon Trade Allies working with EPS New Construction may be eligible for partial reimbursement for this course - please contact eps@energytrust.org for more information

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Questions? Contact us below or call (503) 968-7160 x166.

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