How is the Phius CPHC exam structured?

It has two parts: a Phase I online multiple-choice and multi-select exam weighted at 70%, and a Phase II four-week design exam graded against a rubric and weighted at 30%.

What score do I need to pass the CPHC exam?

A combined minimum of 70%, calculated as (Phase I online score x 0.70) plus (Phase II design score x 0.30).

How many questions are in this practice bank?

This practice bank contains exactly 100 original questions for exam ID phius-cphc.

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100+ Free Phius Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) Practice Questions

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Question 1

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A consultant must submit documentation for Phius certification. Which deliverable directly demonstrates that the design meets the modeled performance criteria?

A landscaping plan

The owner's mortgage statement

A marketing brochure

The completed WUFI Passive model with verified criteria plus supporting assembly and thermal-bridge calculations

to track

Sample Phius Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Phius Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In passive building science, the three primary transport mechanisms that the building enclosure must control are heat, air, and moisture. Which mode of heat transfer is controlled primarily by adding continuous insulation across the enclosure?

A.Advection

B.Conduction

C.Latent transfer

D.Solar gain through glazing

Explanation: Continuous insulation increases the thermal resistance (R-value) of the assembly, directly reducing conductive heat flow through solid materials. Passive building emphasizes a continuous, super-insulated, thermal-bridge-free enclosure to minimize conduction.

2Phius uses a unit of envelope-area-normalized air leakage for its airtightness criterion. What is this unit?

A.ACH50 (air changes per hour at 50 Pa)

B.CFM25 per linear foot of joint

C.Pascals per square meter

D.CFM50 per square foot of enclosure area

Explanation: Phius expresses its airtightness limit as CFM50 per square foot of gross enclosure (envelope) area, which normalizes leakage to the total surface area of the building rather than its interior volume. This makes the criterion fairer across buildings of different geometries.

3Under the Phius performance (modeled) path for low-rise residential projects, the typical maximum air leakage target is closest to which value?

A.0.060 CFM50/ft2 of enclosure

B.0.60 CFM50/ft2 of enclosure

C.0.006 CFM50/ft2 of enclosure

D.6.0 CFM50/ft2 of enclosure

Explanation: For most projects on the performance path, Phius sets the airtightness threshold at 0.060 CFM50 per square foot of gross enclosure area. The stricter prescriptive path requires 0.040 CFM50/ft2, demonstrating that prescriptive compliance demands a tighter envelope.

4A blower-door test reports air leakage measured at a reference pressure difference. What is the standard test pressure used to express the Phius CFM50 metric?

A.25 Pascals

B.75 Pascals

C.50 Pascals

D.100 Pascals

Explanation: The '50' in CFM50 refers to a 50-Pascal pressure difference between inside and outside during the blower-door test. Phius provides a pressure-conversion calculator to translate results tested at 75 Pa back to the 50 Pa reference when needed.

5The energy-modeling tool used for Phius certification verification, developed in partnership with Fraunhofer IBP, is:

A.WUFI Passive

B.EnergyPlus

C.TRNSYS

D.eQUEST

Explanation: Phius certification uses WUFI Passive, a dynamic energy and hygrothermal modeling tool developed with Fraunhofer IBP and Owens Corning. It combines a passive-house static balance with WUFI's dynamic heat-and-moisture engine to verify Phius criteria.

6A linear thermal bridge at a junction (for example, a wall-to-slab connection) is quantified by which coefficient and unit?

A.Psi-value (Ψ), in W/m·K

B.Chi-value (χ), in W/K

C.U-factor, in W/m2·K

D.R-value, in m2·K/W

Explanation: Linear thermal bridges are quantified by the psi-value (Ψ) in W/m·K, representing the extra heat loss per unit length of the junction beyond what the plane assemblies already account for. Point thermal bridges use the chi-value (χ) in W/K.

7Phius and passive house practice define a connection as 'thermal-bridge-free' when, using exterior dimensions, the linear thermal transmittance psi-value satisfies which criterion?

A.Ψ ≤ 1.0 W/m·K

B.Ψ ≥ 0.5 W/m·K

C.Ψ ≤ 0.01 W/m·K

D.Ψ = U-factor of the wall

Explanation: Using exterior (external) dimensions, a junction is considered thermal-bridge-free when its psi-value is less than or equal to 0.01 W/m·K. Because exterior dimensioning slightly overcounts area, well-detailed corners can even yield small negative psi-values.

8Which software is commonly paired with the Phius Thermal Bridge Psi-Value Calculator to model two-dimensional junction heat flow?

A.THERM (LBNL)

B.AutoCAD

C.Revit

D.SketchUp

Explanation: THERM, the free finite-element heat-transfer tool from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, is used to model 2D junction heat flow. Its output feeds the Phius Thermal Bridge Psi-Value Calculator to extract psi-values for detailing.

9A passive building relies on continuous mechanical ventilation. Compared with a heat recovery ventilator (HRV), an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) additionally transfers:

A.Carbon dioxide between airstreams

B.Sensible heat only

C.Electrical power back to the grid

D.Latent heat (moisture) between airstreams

Explanation: An HRV transfers sensible heat between exhaust and supply airstreams, while an ERV transfers both sensible heat and latent heat (moisture). ERVs help manage indoor humidity, which is valuable in humid climates or where winter humidification or summer dehumidification is a concern.

10Balanced mechanical ventilation in a passive building is characterized by which airflow relationship?

A.Supply airflow greatly exceeds exhaust airflow

B.Supply airflow approximately equals exhaust airflow

C.Exhaust airflow greatly exceeds supply airflow

D.Only exhaust fans operate, with no dedicated supply

Explanation: Balanced ventilation provides roughly equal supply and exhaust airflows so the building is neither significantly pressurized nor depressurized. This is essential in an airtight passive building to avoid driving moist air into assemblies and to allow effective heat or energy recovery.

About the Phius Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC) Practice Questions

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