Most everyone is concerned about the air quality in their workplace, home or school. The CIE program will help you determine if these clients do, in fact, have a problem. You'll learn the practical steps you should always follow in an indoor environmental assessment, how to take samples, and how to resolve common IAQ problems. You'll learn about HVAC, building science, and the major contaminants, including their health effects.

Your clients want to be confident that they're hiring a trustworthy and competent consultant. One of the best ways to demonstrate your competency is to obtain a third-party accredited certification. Not only does this program teach you practical skills to assess indoor environments, it also prepares you for the CIE and CIEC certifications by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC). All the pertinent topics covered on the certification exams, including a 100-question practice examination, are included in this program to prepare you for certification.

Getting certified is completely optional. Exams are arranged through ACAC at computerized testing centers throughout the U.S. Certain experience requirements and fees apply to students getting certified (however, there are no experience requirements for this online program).

Upon registering, you're given an initial six months to complete this program.  Should you need more time beyond the six months, an extension of one month is available with a fee of $25 or an extension of one hundred days is available with a fee of $100. 

Upon successful completion of this program, you'll be able to:

• Start an indoor air quality consulting practice
• Prevent, diagnose, and resolve indoor environmental problems in homes, offices, and schools
• Use IAQ instruments and equipment to measure contaminants such as mold, bacteria, VOCs, carbon monoxide, radon, particulates, triggers to asthma and allergies, and more
• Apply current industry guidelines to standardize assessments and reporting
• Understand how building design, HVAC, and material selection all influence the indoor environment

1. Program Overview
   1. Certifications
   2. Definition of IAQ
   3. Historical Information
   4. Controlling an IAQ Problem
   5. Overview of all Program Modules
2. IAQ Contaminants and Health Effects
   1. Dose Response
   2. At-risk Populations
   3. Routes of Exposure
   4. Building-related Symptoms and Sick-building Syndrome
   5. Building-related Illness
   6. Stressors
   7. Particulate Matter
   8. Fungi (Mold)
   9. Bacteria
   10. Viruses
   11. Environmental Allergens
   12. VOCs
   13. Pesticides
   14. Radon
   15. Tobacco Smoke
   16. Combustion By-Products
   17. Carbon Monoxide
   18. Ozone
   19. Mineral Particulate
   20. Lead
   21. Sewer Gas
3. HVAC
   1. HVAC Impact on IAQ
   2. Commercial Systems
   3. Residential Systems
   4. Ventilation
   5. Filtration
   6. Pressurization
   7. Humidity Control
   8. Hygiene and Maintenance
4. The Built Environment
   1. Psychrometrics
   2. Humidity
   3. Dew Point
   4. Psychrometric Chart Example Problems
   5. Sources of Building Moisture
   6. Liquid Water Intrusion
   7. Vapor Diffusion
   8. Vapor Barriers and Retarders
   9. Designs in Different Climate Zones
   10. Air Infiltration
   11. Blower Door Tests
   12. HVAC Equipment sizing
   13. Occupant Generated Humidity
   14. Pipe Leaks and Spills
   15. Preventing Mold During Construction
5. Assessments
   1. Scientific Method
   2. IAQ Assessment Plan
   3. Step 1, Gather Information
   4. Checklists
   5. Questionnaires and Interviews
   6. Document Review
   7. Step 2, Walk-through Inspection
   8. Outside the Building
   9. Occupied Space
   10. HVAC System
   11. Step 3, Indicator Measurements
   12. Temperature and Relative Humidity
   13. Ventilation
   14. Moisture
   15. Temperature Differential/Infrared Cameras
   16. Pressurization
   17. Step 4, Diagnostic Measurements
   18. Formulating a Hypothesis
   19. Testing the Hypothesis
   20. Statistical Errors
   21. Step 5, Report Your Findings
   22. Incorporating Standards
   23. Report Outline
6. Sampling
   1. Mold
      1. Air
      2. Surface
      3. Dust
      4. Bulk
      5. mVOC
   2. Bacteria
   3. Volatile Organic Compounds
   4. Carbon Monoxide
   5. Particles
   6. Allergens
   7. Ozone
   8. Radon
7. Microbial Remediation
   1. Definition of Remediation
   2. Review of Standards
   3. Safety and Health
   4. Fixing the Moisture Problem
   5. Contaminant Control
   6. Contaminant Removal
   7. Biocides and Antimicrobials
   8. Verifying Remediation
   9. Writing Specifications
   10. Conflict of Interest
8. Standard of Care
   1. Regulations
   2. Model Building Codes
   3. ANSI Standards
   4. Non-ANSI Standards
   5. Guidelines

There are no prerequisites to taking the CIE Program. There are, however, experience requirements for those students wishing to take the optional certification exam by the American Council for Accredited Certification (ACAC). ACAC requires a high school diploma or GED, along with two years of documented field experience in conducting indoor air quality investigations. Questions regarding certification should be directed to ACAC.

If you'd like to become an indoor air quality or green building consultant, this program is for you. While the program is designed for students without any experience, you may more easily comprehend certain sections of the program if you have a background in HVAC, home inspection, construction, or healthcare.

This program is compatible with the Windows XP and later operating systems and IE 7 and later browsers.

The Adobe Flash Player is required for this program.

Click here to download the Flash Player.

All material is available online. You'll be able to save the entire text portion of the program as a PDF file, so that you can reference the material even after you’ve completed the program.

Ian Cull, PE, CIEC, CMC, CIAQP, is the president of Indoor Sciences and was elected in 2006 and 2009 by the membership of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA) to serve on its board of directors for three-year terms. Ian was elected as the organization's vice president in 2008 and 2009. He also served as a non-voting board member for the Indoor Environmental Standards Organization (IESO) from 2007-2009.

Ian first started in the fields of indoor air quality and sustainability in 1995 when he joined Chelsea Group, Ltd., an IAQ and sustainability consulting firm. Ian has developed and taught numerous seminars, certification programs, and customized presentations, reaching well over 1,000 individuals in the U.S. and several other countries, including China and India. Ian is a master trainer for the IAQA and has taught their programs: Certified Indoor Environmentalist, Fundamentals of Indoor Air Quality and HVAC, Certified IAQ Manager, and Certified Microbial Investigator. His in-depth knowledge in all aspects of building science, IAQ, and sustainability make him a highly respected and commended teacher.

Ian is a professional environmental engineer whose skill in the classroom is based on his vast experience managing a large number of projects focused on improved indoor environments and sustainability. He has completed assessments in offices, schools, homes, dormitories, condominiums, hospitals and health care facilities. Ian is proficient not only in finding problems, but also in offering appropriate solutions and recommendations to prevent future re-occurrences.

Ian is also well known for developing three educational Web sites:

• www.SeeImGreen.com
• www.LabComparisons.com
• www.IAQforms.com

These helpful tools allow professionals in the sustainability and IAQ fields to collaborate and share information. More than 2,000 unique visitors use these sites each month.

Ian has a Bachelor's of Science degree in engineering from one of the country's top environmental engineering programs at University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) in the state of Illinois, a Certified Indoor Environmental Consultant (CIEC), a Certified Microbial Consultant (CMC), and a Certified Indoor Air Quality Professional (CIAQP).

Ian is a member of the IAQA, the Chicago Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate, and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Ian is committed to seeing the fields of IAQ and sustainability grow in the right direction. To that end, he spends a great number of hours each week volunteering on committees and boards, including the following committees:

• Chairman, IAQA's Futures Committee: 2007-present
• Chairman, IAQAware subcommittee: 2005-present
• Chairman, IAQA's Ad-Hoc Committee on Conflict of Interest: 2007, 2008
• Chairman, IAQA's Ad-Hoc Web site Committee: 2009
• IAQA's CIE subcommittee: 2003-present
• IAQA's Education Committee: 2005-present
• IAQA Nominating Committee: 2007, 2008

Coming soon!