Describes the major features of air flow around buildings, indicating how wind characteristics and building geometry interact to determine airflow round a house. Outlines work being done by Watson House in this area, mainly concerned with ventilation, flue performance and dispersal of combustion products.

Describes a project undertaken for the CEC to build low-energy houses according to a particular design methodology, and to verify the efficiency and practical application of this design. Describes general site layout, climatic effects on the site, and design methodology as applied to the houses. Aims to undertake energy audits in each of the houses,including measurements of air temperature, solar radiation, wind speed, "steady state" behaviour and air infiltration.

Uses mathematical models for formaldehyde concentrations in 3 normal rooms in a single family house to estimate ventilation rates needed to maintain the formaldehyde concentration below the Danish recommended indoor standard (0.15 mg/m*3). It appears that in an initial period after the house is finished, a ventilation rate more than 10 times the recommended Scandinavian value (0.5air changes/hr) is needed to keep the concentration below the indoor standard.

Presents space heating and total energy consumption values for a one-year monitoring period for a group of 27 low energy houses in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. These have a number of energy conserving features, including air tightness, controlled ventilation, air-to-air heat exchangers, passive solar heating and high insulation levels. The average space heating energy consumption for the 27 houses was 43.7 Kj/sq.m.DD May 1980-May 1981.The total energy consumption for the houses averaged 365 Mj/sq.m. The space heating energy consumption averaged .228 Mj/sq.m.

Reports on the metabolic CO2 method for ventilation measurement which has been extended from mechanically ventilated rooms to naturally ventilated ones. The analysis, which under some circumstances is also relevant to tracer gas decay measurements, allows assessments of the individual incoming flows of air.

Gives a detailed description of 3 types of external shutters that were designed for 3 of 6 proto-type low energy houses at Hjortekaer Denmark. Seals were made, and shown to be efficient by measurements of infiltration air change rates and results from pressurization tests. Verifies the thermal performance of the shutters by thermal calibration, and finds a good agreement between the measured and calculated heat losses. This forms a basis for an estimate of the annual energy savings obtained by the use of shutters - about 800-2000 Kwh/y.

Detailed studies of public sector modernisation programmes show that the principal problem resulting from lack of thermal insulation and inappropriate methods of heating and ventilation is condensation and mould growth. Gives the optimum air change rate (for dwellings with particular heat loss characteristics) at which the heat input necessary to prevent the RH rising is at a minimum. The resulting temperatures are too low to be considered comfortable, so air change rates need to be less than the optimum.

Describes a window opening survey concerned with identifying the objective correlates of window opening. Finds that the variation between households in terms of their total daily window opening is greater than that within households. Householders may adopt consistent window opening patterns. Hypothesises that although window opening is primarily a function of external air temperature, relative humidity and windspeed are influential at high values.

Provides a brief summary of Swedish energy policy. Covers current knowledge and research in Sweden concerning low-energy buildings and building services, energy supply, the built environment and heat pumps.

Shows that efficient moisture removal in a ventilated roof via ventilation openings is a function of roof length. Beyond a certain critical length all moisture diffusing in from below will be deposited in the roof. The critical roof length will be greater the more vapour tight the section beneath the roof space is. If a vapour barrier is necessary, as in an unventilated roof, it maybe that an unventilated roof is preferable in the first place.