A major pathway for loss of conditioned air in East Tennessee homes with externally located heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems is leakage in the ductwork. The average infiltration rate, as measured by Freon-12 trace
As part of an investigation into the influence of a residential weatherization program on indoor air quality and energy efficiency, a multi-pollutant survey of the air inside 50 Wisconsin homes was conducted three times during the heating season
Retrofitting for air infiltration is undertaken for two principal reasons, to provide greater comfort and to save energy. Qualitative and quantitative measurement of air penetration is an essential prerequisite for planning anefficient retrofit for air infiltration. Describes methods of measurement with two examples of single family houses in sheltered and exposed locations.
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.
The relation between air infiltration rate and indoor concentrations of radon gas, radon daughters, and formaldehyde has been investigated for both summer and winter conditions in a number of Toronto houses with low rates of natural ventilation.
The air tightness of 15 detached houses was measured firstly immediately after erection and secondly after a period of 1.5 to 4.5 years. All the houses were timber framed ones, equipped with mechanical ventilation systems. Only two houses out of the 15 tested showed clear changes in air tightness. Thus the air tightness behaviour of the houses seems to be fairly constant.
Defines air change and air penetration. Describes the differential pressure method, the infrasound method, qualitative judgement methods, and acoustic measurement devices for determining air penetration. Explains procedures todetermine air change - the rate of decay method, the constant concentration method, and the constant emission method.
Describes three research programmes measuring tightness of components, of specific areas of a building and of complete buildings. Defines the Belgian standards currently applicable. For air tightness, the area or building is depressurized by 5 to 100 Pa and the flow of air that enters is measured. Thenthe components are made air tight one by one, and each time the new flow rate is measured to give values for the different components. The specific area alone can be depressurized, the specific area plus the whole building or just the whole building.
The heating and cooling loads due to air infiltration may be estimated by a mathematical model that requires knowledge of the leakage characteristics of each component of the envelope. To extend the modelisation to the pitched roofs common in Portugal, characteristics of roofs were determined by a differential pressure method.
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