residential building

Reports on measurements carried out by energy consultants at a national test centre using thermography to determine any improvements in insulation and airtightness through the injection of mineral wool in Dormer houses. Measurements show results which are much better than expected. States costs and payback period of approx 6 years.

Presents results from an investigation of the effects of different structural and mechanical energy conservation measures in swedish houses. Selects at random houses whose owners have received government grants for energy conserving measures. Compares actual and theoretical savings in the houses forvarious structural modifications. Discusses reasons for variations in savings between houses with the same modifications. Includes a description of thecalculations used to determine savings.

Summarises information from energy audits and post installation inspections conducted as part of the Residential Weatherization Pilot Program, operated by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The BPA offered free home energy audits to identify cost-effective conservation measures to reduce energy forspace and water heating, and zero-interest loans for retrofitting. More than 6000 homes were audited and 4000 loans made. Audit data suggest that annual electricity consumption can be cut by one third at a cost of 2000 dollars (1981 values).

Describes the retrofitting of 2 1930's semi-detached houses with insulation, draught-stripping, double glazing, heating controls and heat pumps. Measures performance and finds results compare with expectations. Simulates the heat gains equivalent to a family of four. Heat losses were slightly lower than predicted. Air leakage was also low.

Develops a calculation procedure to predict the room air temperature and heat load of Japanese housing. Includes the process to calculate natural ventilation precisely. Predicts the room air temperatures of 2 experimental houses using this method. Finds that the prediction agrees well with actual measurements.

Measures the airtightness of various types of 25 residential units (9 detached houses and 16 apartments) using the fan pressurization technique. Shows the relationship between the pressure difference across the building envelope and the volumetric flow rate of air as well as the ratio of the effective leakage area of one building element to the total leakage area. Compares the airtightness of various types of houses in different countries using the valueof the effective leakage area per floor a at a pressure difference of 10 Pa.

Reviews air infiltration studies in New Zealand. Tighter houses have evolved over the years through changes in building methods and materials. Some of the tighter houses can have condensation problems. Investigates the airtightness of 40 houses together with the leakage resistances of a range of building components and bulk sheathing materials. A comparison with houses in other countries shows that comparatively tight houses can arise from simple construction methods not employing vapour barriers. Gives air infiltration rates as a function of windspeed for 4 of the 40 houses.

The report aims to provide the basis for the design and set up of experiments for the evaluation of the effects of energy conservation measures in residential buildings. The first part deals with general planning of the experiment, basic principles of building physics, thermal comfort and energy related behaviour of occupants. The second part decribes the design of the experiment, and the third part is devoted to measurement techniques, data acquisition and installation rules in the different fields of building physics and heating systems.

Presents the results of an experiment designed to measure the additional energy savings achieved by adding two person days of house doctoring to a standard energy audit. Compares a house doctor and audit treatment to an audit alone and to a passive control group. Treatments were applied to randomly selected groups of 10 houses each in Walnut Creek California. The difference in energy savings between the treatments, based on monthly utility bills, were not statistically significant due to wide variation in savings and the loss of several houses from each group.

Reviews the mechanism of air infiltration as a background for introducing a procedure that yields more reliable estimates of average infiltration rates through a window unit than do methods currently employed.The procedure is applied to estimating the average winter heat losses through windows in low-rise residential buildings variously located through out the US. Concludes that, regardless of climate, the heat loss attributable to infiltration through the window unit is small compared with that incurred as a result of direct transmission of heat through the window.