Pick up where you left off.
Course Content
Thermal Bridging in Residential Design
When the drawings leave the frame blank, the assumption you make is the assessment.
Steel framing, junctions, and what the model does with an unspecified frame. Why a steel framed wall with the same batts as a timber one is a different building, when the metal framed wall and roof provisions actually require a thermal break, and how to model, request and record the frame so your assessment holds up at audit.
Secure card checkout. Tax invoice emailed.
4 modules, 2 case studies, final quiz and certificate.
Introduction and objectives
Why steel framing turned bridging into everyday assessment work, and what you will be able to do by the end.
Where the heat actually leaves
See why the path runs through the frame, not the batts, and why losses and mould gather at corners, openings and junctions.
What the Code requires, and in which edition
Check the two conditions that trigger a thermal break, the R0.2 minimum and the sandwich panel exclusions, and cite the edition that governs.
Getting it into the model
Model the frame you were given, handle a silent set, and check the slab edge, balcony and parapet before blaming the glazing.
The record, and the conversation
Write a request for information that gets answered, keep an assumptions register, and answer pushback with a modelled comparison.
A steel frame and a cathedral ceiling
A house that lost half a star when the frame changed to steel, and a raked ceiling that striped with mould.
Key takeaways
The habits to take back to your next lightweight assessment.
Final quiz and certificate
Ten project scenarios. Pass and the certificate goes straight into your dashboard.
Intermediate. For people who already assess or document lightweight Class 1 houses on the house energy rating pathway. Covers metal framed walls and roofs, thermal breaks and the junctions that bridge in any construction. It does not replace the calculation inside your software or the NatHERS Technical Notes.
Written for the people who put the frame into the model.
Energy assessors
You model lightweight houses from sets that name the cladding, the batts and the lining, and leave the frame blank.
Building designers
Framing to engineer’s details on your wall schedule is the line your assessor has to guess at.
Architects
You specify the envelope, and a thermal break only works if your junction details carry it through.
Building surveyors
You check that the construction assessed is the one documented and built, including any break claimed in the model.
Residential builders
A switch from timber to steel framing changes the rating, and the assessor needs to hear about it before the slab is poured.
Where this hour goes on your record.
National Standard of Competency for Architects (NSCA 2021) performance criteria this course aligns with:
Building codes and standards
Building science and technology
Integrating materials and construction
Materials and performance standards
Complete and accurate documentation
| If you are | How it is recorded |
|---|---|
| An energy assessor | 1 hour of technical CPD on thermal performance and building fabric assessment. Your certificate, the learning outcomes, the module outline and your quiz result are kept in your dashboard for your accrediting organisation’s records. |
| An architect | 1 formal CPD point. Aligned with NSCA 2021 performance criteria PC12, PC28, PC39, PC45 and PC47. |
| A building designer, surveyor or builder | 1 hour of CPD on the thermal bridging provisions of the ABCB Housing Provisions, recorded on your certificate for your registration body or state scheme. |
CPD On Demand is not a registered training organisation and courses are not accredited by any registration body. Each course is aligned with the relevant competency frameworks and gives you the records to evidence it. CPD rules differ by registration body and state, so check with yours if you are unsure.
Pairs well with.
When the Spec Doesn’t Say Enough
Turning a specification that exists but says too little into defensible modelling inputs.
The Breathable Wall: Understanding Condensation Risks in NCC 2025
The other consequence of a cold surface: condensation inside the wall and roof.
Designing Thermal Zones for Better NatHERS Performance
Defining and mapping thermal zones so the model reflects how the house is used.
Before you enrol.
Get the frame into the model, and into the record, in one self-paced hour.
$99, 60 minutes, certificate on completion.