standard

The fan pressurization method has been widely used by groups working with building retrofits and with new construction to evaluate the air tightness of building envelopes. 

As airtight houses become more popular across Canada, reduced ventilation rates may lead to poor air quality and high humidity problems in these dwellings. This paper reviews the needs for ventilation, ventilation methods and systems, and current codes and standards, particularly with respect to airtight and energy efficient houses. Current research in Canada is reviewed and considerations for a new ventilation standard are discussed.

Reviews the existing standards of the AIC participating countries for whole buildings, windows, doors and building sections. Comments on the factors that should be taken into account in the application and future development of airtightness requirements, including climate, sources and severity of indoor pollution, ventilation requirements, existing practices, cost and overall impact of such controls on energy conservation.

This environmental information handbook was prepared to assist both the non-technical reader and technical persons, such as researchers, policy analysts, and builders/designers, understand the current state of knowledge regarding combustion so

The text of a paper on ventilation equipment and systems for existing air-tight houses, presented at the Bouwcentrum/Vakinfo one-day conference, Rotterdam, November 1, 1984. Treats the application of 1. natural ventilation systems with vertical ducts and adjustable openings, 2. the same with mechanical exhaust via kitchen, bathroom, and toilet, 3. mechanical supply to all rooms and exhaust via kitchen, bathroom, and toilet, 4. balanced supply and exhaust. Treats the possibility of the private buyer or tenant estimating the quality of the house.

Under the provisions of the Law for Maintenance of Sanitation in Buildings, the "Building Sanitation Control Standards" came into force subsequently. The air quality standard, one of these Standards, is composed of the following 6 items: Suspended particles, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, temperature, relative humidity, and air velocity. Since the enactment of the law, we have surveyed actual conditions of indoor environment for these 13 years, and found the percentage of buildings which failed to come up to the standards.

ASHRAE's first ventilation standard, published in 1973, has been used in many building codes in the USA. The 1981 revision of this standard has been criticised for its approach to indoor air quality. A comparison of the '73 and '81 standard, currently underway, is expected to better explain the rationale and provide new support for controversial parts of the standard.

This paper discusses the situation in the Netherlands with respect to air tightness of dwellings and reflects discussions about this in the Dutch Standard Committee on Air Tightness of Buildings. Results of measurements and calculations are given and the considerations of different groups in thediscussion are included. Finally an attempt is made to produce a model for the prediction of air flow rates, infiltration losses and seasonal gas consumption on the basis of air leakage measurements.

The situation in Canada with regard to building regulations affecting the airtightness of buildings is reviewed with emphasis on a new standard test method for measuring airtightness which departs somewhat from methods used inother countries. The purpose of this test is held to be primarily to determine an important aspect of building envelope quality, namely the degree to which unintentional openings have been avoided, rather than to determine energy conservation potential.