The curriculum must be grounded in the field, balancing principle and practice, as well as product and price information, to achieve the desired results. Above all, builders and architects are busy people. Consequently, the content of the course has to address their needs, and the information must be presented in an engaging fashion. If the class falls short of this mark, students won't return. Principles form the core of the course and help students better understand the rationale behind the practices.
Practices involve all of the steps taken to improve home performance.
Practices are augmented by product and price information to complete the picture. The first half of the course covers building-science principles such as heat transfer, air flow, moisture movement, and chemical and biological reactions, and how these forces interact with one another, the home, and its occupants. These interactions form the theoretical basis for a systems approach to energy-efficient building and design. The second half of the course takes a look at practices. The sequence of material is very important, because architects and builders need to know first why they are being encouraged to eliminate thermal defects and seal up duct systems.