Reports a survey on both solar and conventional homes in north-eastern New York State. Finds that houses which are more airtight have 3 times the radon levels of conventional houses. The highest 2 levels of radon in the solar homes give doses over 30 yrs that are known to produce lung cancer in 1% of uranium miners. Summer readings in more than one half of the cases are different from winter ones by a factor of 2 or more, so that year-round measurements are necessary for precise dosimetry. The track etching technique is ideally suited for such measurements.

Discusses 2 reports by the Agrement Board which indicate that insulated doors in busy industrial buildings such as warehouses do not save much energy. Further studies by the Bolton Gate co. show that the addition of a plastic strip curtain gives significant savings. When a door is open for 5 mins perhour, the mean saving can be 15% depending on outside temperature and the air leakage of the curtain. When the door is open for 15 mins per hour, the mean saving can be 29%. States that it is easier to use plastic strip curtains with horizontal folding shutters than with doors.

States that draughtproofing doors and windows in industrial and commercial buildings offers the quickest payback of any energy conservation measure. Describes potential sources of leaks, such as ill-fitting entrance doors, and the types of material needed in draughtproofing industrial buildings according to durability and application.

Describes a computer program, Harmon, developed for the simulation of the thermal response of buildings (based on BRE's "admittance procedure") which can be used on mini-computers and utilized at the sketch design stage for the comparative evaluation of alternative designs. Gives an account of the validation exercises completed and outlines further intended refinements.

Uses a simple computer simulation program for the assessment of the thermal performance of award-winning architect-designed houses in the Brisbane area. 

Describes the monitoring over a 15-month period of the heat supplied to and heat lost from an unoccupied house in the grounds of the Cement and Concrete Association. The house was sealed to prevent air infiltration and the windows were covered to eliminate heat transfer by radiation between inside andoutside. Finds that heat losses through the house fabric are proportional to U-values and to the time-averaged temperature differential between the insideand outside environment. Comparison between heat input and measured heat loss shows that cold bridges constitute a significant energy drain.

Explains possibilities of saving energy in the area of ventilation. Summarises fundamental theories for calculating air flow through building leaks, ventilators and fan systems which are put in their total context - wind, temperature, air leakage, intentional ventilation, building technology, energy requirements. Treats factors which influence ventilation requirements. Compares results from field studies of actual air change rates with the requirements of Swedish Building Standard 1980.

Treats the relation between transmission heat loss and ventilation heat loss of buildings. Notes normal methods of fresh air ventilation of dwellings and problems arising with buildings being made increasingly airtight so that air infiltration is greatly reduced with consequent condensation and lack of maintenance of minimum hygiene standards. Illustrates and discusses possible future ventilation systems including mechanical supply and extract ventilation systems incorporating heat recovery systems. Illustrates several alternatives diagramatically.

Discusses the evaluation of building surface pressures resulting from the action of external wind, the modelling of individual components through which air flows, the determination of their characteristics under the action of pressure and temperature differences, and the solution of large airflow networks consisting of several such dissimilar components. Describes the integration of airflow calculations with heat transfer calculations in an attempt to produce a balanced approach to the determination of energy requirements for buildings.

Gives answers to practical problems encountered when retrofitting older Canadian houses. The first section gives an overview of a typical house both before and after retrofitting. The second section gives detailed answers togeneral questions covering ventilation, moisture and condensation, air barriers (sealing a house), vapour barriers, insulation, basements, walls, attics, roofs, windows, doors, weatherstripping, caulking, air quality, heat recovery and heat loss testing.