To become fully accredited as an ATTMA Level 1 tester through a course in Australia or New Zealand, you must complete the following steps (specific order is not required):

  1. Pass the knowledge and theory exam
  2. Apply to ATTMA and submit required documentation
  3. Submit completed blower door tests and calculations of three different buildings not previously submitted to ATTMA Lodgement, including one done by on-site envelope dimensions. Tests must be filed with ATTMA Lodgement. These tests must be conducted on buildings not already in the Lodgement database.
  4. Conduct a live supervised test of a single-zone building using a common blower door system from either The Energy Conservatory or Retrotec.

Steps 1-3 may be undertaken remotely and if completed successfully will result in listing as an ATTMA Level 1 tester with “provisional” status. The last step #4 may also be performed on the Exam Day at the training venue, or through a separate arrangement. Successful completion of all four steps will result in listing as an ATTMA Level 1 tester with “current” status.

The order of steps may be changed to suit an individual’s specific needs and schedule, but they must all be completed to achieve “current” status on the ATTMA member listings.

Further Information:

More details about each assessment step and links to more information are below. For a sense of what level of knowledge is helpful before sitting this course, see “ATTMA Level 1 Pre-Qualification Sample Questions”.

  1. Pass the multiple-choice knowledge and theory exam. The exam includes:
    • Principles relating to air leakage in buildings
    • Review of current and relevant regulations relating to air tightness in Australia or New Zealand
    • AS/NZS ISO 9972:2015 and how it is used to comply with ATTMA requirements
    • How to assess test data for compliance with ATTMA and AS/NZS ISO 9972:2015 requirements
    • Conversion between units of measure (e.g. L/s, m3/hr, permeability/ACH, etc.)
    • Calculation of envelope areas off a set of plans provided during the test
  2. Apply to ATTMA and submit required documentation
    • ATTMA requests company information, tester information, photo for tester profile, contact information; equipment information including calibration information; and basic information on public liability insurance as required by your own jurisdiction. Required as part of the application are air tightness test data from at least three separate buildings, described below. In addition, ATTMA will require an annual membership fee. Application can be made by going to the ATTMA website.
  3. Submit completed blower door tests and envelope calculations of three different buildings or homes not previously submitted to ATTMA Lodgement. Tests must include:
    • Calculations of envelope area (calculations of volume are additionally helpful but not required). Calculations of at least one building must be measured manually on-site (not from plans). Envelope calculations of other two buildings may be either manual or off building plans.
    • Test results must be expressed in units of permeability, airflow at 50 Pascals per unit of building envelope surface area (i.e. m3·hr-1·m-2 @ 50Pa). Calculations of air change rate (e.g. ACH50 or n50) are optional but not required.
    • Tests must meet the requirements of standard AS/NZS ISO 9972:2015 or equivalent for this review.
    • These tests and calculations must be conducted on buildings not already in the Lodgement database.
    • Guidance on calculating envelope areas is available from ATTMA TSL1, TSL2, or TSL4, available from the ATTMA website.
  4. Conduct a live supervised test of a single-zone building using a common blower door system, such as from The Energy Conservatory or Retrotec.
    • You must be able to conduct a blower door test without the aid of fully automated software. That is, you must be able to manually control a system to perform a multi-point test, including steps such as recording baseline environmental conditions and zero-flow pressure differences; recording a series of induced pressure differences and airflow readings; and recording post-test zero-flow and environmental readings.
    • Knowing how to push “start” on an automated blower door test software will not be adequate to pass this assessment.
    • The manual test process will be reviewed during the course, and basic test form handouts will be provided during the course and during the exam.
    • A sample manual test data collection form is located here.