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Abstract
Airtightness testing is widely undertaken to assess the as-built performance of dwellings, in support of achieving energy and ventilation strategies. Mandatory schemes operate in some countries, such as the UK, to ensure that dwellings are built in accordance with their design air permeability. However, testing is only useful if the results give a true picture of the airtightness of the building. Previous literature has investigated factors which could influence airtightness test results but has not questioned data quality, despite the pressure on builders to achieve design targets. This paper presents air permeability results from the largest UK dataset, comprising 144,024 dwellings tested under the Air Tightness Testing and Measurement Association (ATTMA) scheme. The data show an unexpected distribution of test results with narrow peaks just within test targets. Such results were not expected theoretically but do reflect findings in other fields where performance-based targets are in place. Such a close match between design and tested airtightness may be achieved by remedial works taking place during the test rather than afterwards. Recommendations are made with respect to quality assurance systems, design guidance and on-site sealing practices to increase the likelihood of long-term airtight buildings being constructed first time.
Highlights
This paper presents an analysis of 1.5 years of data from an air permeability dataset provided by the Air Tightness Testing and Measurement Association, ATTMA, the larger of the two competent person airtightness testing schemes in the UK
Significant discrepancies occurred in only ∼5% of tests; whilst the cause of such discrepancies is not known, these results indicate no evidence for a significant falsification of reported air permeability in the ATTMA lodgement process
All final tests for a single dwelling were ranked according to their air permeability, and the lowest value taken as the last test and the highest taken as the first test
Summary
Heat demand reduction in UK housing is an important part of the UK’s decarbonisation strategy [1]. Aware of a wide distribution of measured air permeability in new dwellings centred around 12–13 m3/m2h at 50 Pa [10], and no tangible incentive to improve it, Lowe et al [11] argued in 2000 for compulsory pressure testing of a fraction of new UK housing, theorising that this would result in reductions to both the median and standard deviation. Johnston et al [4] demonstrated that a sample of 25 dwellings taken from 5 large developers constructed according to these regulations had a mean air permeability of just over 11 m3/m2h, suggesting that the provisions of Part L (2002) did not result in buildings with air permeability consistently below the maximum 10 m3/m2h They presented an action research approach to demonstrate that with careful design and feedback from pressure testing results, air permeability in new dwellings was more likely to achieve below 10 m3/m2h [5]. It is sometimes possible that the site design target is more stringent than the compliance design target to ensure compliance [18]
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