Airtightness and control of the internal ventilation are among the main factors to be considered in order to evaluate the energy efficiency of a building; moreover, they both strongly influence indoor air quality. Building airtightness has several advantages, such as the reduction of uncontrolled passage of cold draughts and of interstitial condensation. Non-adequate building envelope airtightness can cause mould formation. Some moulds are not infectious, while others produce toxic substances called “mycotoxins” that cause serious infections in more vulnerable people. Other types, such as Cryptococcus, may instead endanger everyone’s health. The sick building syndrome is one of the unpleasant consequences of uncontrolled air draughts, which contribute to the distribution of spores within the environment. Therefore, in order to verify the energy and environmental performance of the building related to airtightness, the “Blower Door Test” is used to measure the hourly rate of air exchange caused by the inaccurate installation of doors and windows, to the presence of passing pipelines or to common construction defects. The test is carried on closing all the openings and placing a fan as temporary replacement of a door. The test, carried on with the aid of a thermal imaging camera to identify the critical points and optimize the airtightness, gives general information about the construction quality. The paper presents the testing method and the results of air permeability “Blower Door Test – Method A”, carried out on March 6th, 2015 at a private residence located in Fiume Veneto, PN, Italy. The test verified that the value fell within the limits for the building certification according to the CasaClima A Protocol. The paper wants to highlight how an appropriate level of building airtightness, together with a mechanical ventilation system, allows reducing heat losses but also contributes to improve the quality of indoor air with the reduction of pathologies for users.
Measurement Of Residential Building Airtightness Using The "Blower Door Test" And Its Relation With Indoor Air Quality
Pepe, Domenico;Rossetti, Massimo;Antoniol, Emilio;Covre, Valentina
2016-01-01
Abstract
Airtightness and control of the internal ventilation are among the main factors to be considered in order to evaluate the energy efficiency of a building; moreover, they both strongly influence indoor air quality. Building airtightness has several advantages, such as the reduction of uncontrolled passage of cold draughts and of interstitial condensation. Non-adequate building envelope airtightness can cause mould formation. Some moulds are not infectious, while others produce toxic substances called “mycotoxins” that cause serious infections in more vulnerable people. Other types, such as Cryptococcus, may instead endanger everyone’s health. The sick building syndrome is one of the unpleasant consequences of uncontrolled air draughts, which contribute to the distribution of spores within the environment. Therefore, in order to verify the energy and environmental performance of the building related to airtightness, the “Blower Door Test” is used to measure the hourly rate of air exchange caused by the inaccurate installation of doors and windows, to the presence of passing pipelines or to common construction defects. The test is carried on closing all the openings and placing a fan as temporary replacement of a door. The test, carried on with the aid of a thermal imaging camera to identify the critical points and optimize the airtightness, gives general information about the construction quality. The paper presents the testing method and the results of air permeability “Blower Door Test – Method A”, carried out on March 6th, 2015 at a private residence located in Fiume Veneto, PN, Italy. The test verified that the value fell within the limits for the building certification according to the CasaClima A Protocol. The paper wants to highlight how an appropriate level of building airtightness, together with a mechanical ventilation system, allows reducing heat losses but also contributes to improve the quality of indoor air with the reduction of pathologies for users.
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