Pacific Power and Light Company and Battelle PNW Laboratories have completed a project which investigated residential ventilation rates. The results presented in the report discuss evaluation of methods used to measure ventilation rates, the behavior of ventilation rates in residences and the comparison of ventilation rates among home construction types. The perfluorocarbon tracer gas decay technique for measuring ventilation rates was concluded to be the best method used during the testing.

The air infiltration component of house ventilation is calculated and discussed in relation to winter space heat losses and rneasures necessary to control moisture. The airtightness of 80 houses sampled from three major urban areas was inspected for association with location, external cladding materials, and design features such as the shape and complexity of the building envelope. A useful correlation of airtightness with envelope complexity emerged which gives a coarse but useful way of forecasting airtightness from building design information.

Addresses air leakage of warehouses and light industrial buildings including the significance of infiltration/exfiltration, air leakage sites, and measurement techniques. Concludes that 1, only limited leakage data are available for components of this building category 2, no model has been developed specifically for use in warehousing and light industrial buildings. However, one of the existing models for residential buildings could possibly be adapted.

Describes air sealing of existing homes by sealants, weatherstripping, air-vapour barriers, and other techniques. Discusses principles of air exchange, moisture movement, air sealing, control of indoor air quality, and combustion air. Identifies procedures for assessing air sealing measures in individual houses. Describes materials for air sealing and their applications.

Describes the first stage of a project to study domestic background leakage. Fundamental flow measurements have verified the crack flow equation for the simplest crack type for a much larger range of crack and flow parameters than have previously been examined. It is hoped to develop a portable, automated pressurization system capable of identifying and quantifying background leakage areas in rooms.

The ventilation of a large room is often achieved by supplying inlet air from a small side-wall mounted opening. The velocity distribution in a typical room with a small circular inlet opening close to the ceiling is described. The supplied air forms a wall jet below the ceiling which is easy to describe in terms of velocity distribution, entrainment, etc. The jet is deflected at the end wall opposite the supply opening and the resultant flow in the lower part of the room - the occupied zone - has a rather complicated structure.

Experimental measurements have been conducted on eight houses in the Ottawa area to study the changes induced in house performance when loose-fill insulation is installed in walls. The report presents details on the induced changes in furnace performance, house airtightness, temperatures, humidity levels and position of the neutral pressure plane. ECAP (Enhanced Conservation Assistance Program) auditing procedures were applied to the houses, and the predicted fuel consumptions showed a considerable disagreement with actual values.

Energy-related variables were monitored in six detached houses in Winnipeg, Manitoba, before and after the houses were retrofitted by re-insulating the exterior walls and ceiling, or walls only, with blown loose-fill glass-fibre or cellulose

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.

The state of practice in Canada, as described in the literature, concerning ventilation, air distribution and air quality in warehouses and light industrial buildings is reviewed. There is little documented field information available. Modelling processes have not been developed which can provide thenecessary detail. Measurement of air flows, both in the field and in models, is difficult. The regulatory environment in Canada allows considerable innovation in developing conservation procedures.