Jeff O Toole – Passive House Consultant

Achieving Air Tightness Successfully

Presentation Overview

• What is Air Tightness • What’s all the fuss about • Natural Ventilation • Get it right from the start • During the construction

phase • Testing • Air Tightness Test Results

What is Air Tightness

• Leak Proofing

• Eliminate Draughts

• Eliminate Uncontrolled Air Leakage

• Eliminate Uncontrolled Heat Loss

What’s All The Fuss About

Calm Day Windy Day

Natural Ventilation

• Natural Ventilation is ventilation by chance

• Over Ventilation on Windy cold days

• Under Ventilation on Warm humid Days

Get It Right From The Start

• Clearly define the weak areas in the air tight envelope

• Design them out where possible

• Specify the correct materials for the unavoidable areas Air barrier line

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7 8 9

10 11 10 2

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6

2

414

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Air leakage path

5

The Construction Phase

• Sub-Contractor Awareness

• Agreed Sequence of Work

• Agreed Routes for Services

• Air Tightness Test before closing walls

• Final Air test once everything is complete

2. Sub- Contractor Awareness

3.Test for Air Tightness

Communication & Coordination

1. Sequence of Work

Air Tightness Testing

• Passive House Standard 0.6 Air Changes per Hour (ACH)@50 Pascal

• Building Regulation 7m3/hr/m2 )@50 Pascal

Air tightness Test Results

Passive House 0.6 ACH

• Ventilation Heat Loss

• 1721 kWh/year

Building Regulations 7 ACH

• Ventilation Heat Loss

• 10449 kWh/year

Questions?

www.passivehousesolutions.ie