Testing the airtightness of Large or multiple-storey-buildings in an EU-Regulation Context

The importance of an airtight building envelope will, with growing awareness of energy efficiency in all European countries, continue to increase. Experience with testing small detached or two-unit houses is available in most countries. An English-language literature source on Measuring the airtightness of buildings has been compiled by ATTMA (Technical Standard)[1] and BSRIA BG 11/2004.2 [2]. Measurement of large buildings [2] (BG 4/2006) involves more work on installing the fans and more organisational tasks in preparing for the test - that such tests can be carried out perfectly is shown by hundreds of measurements taken with more than two and up to ten fans. Evaluation software is in Germany also available that facilitates the summation of the various volume streams of the single fans and presenting this as a totalled result. Questions arise when we seek guidelines for calculating the energy efficiency of a building and when discrete parts of a property (single apartments in a multiple-occupancy house) have to be measured.