What is Air-Tightness ?

The air-tightness of a building, otherwise known as  ‘air permeability’, is the average volume of air leakage through 1 sq metre of the buildings' external fabric. An air permeability test combined with smoke detection can identify gaps, holes and cracks in the fabric of the external building envelope. Air permeability testing is used extensively as a detection tool which can identify areas requiring attention, reducing energy costs and improving the thermal comfort of the building.

How is an Air-Tightness Test carried out?

An air tightness test is carried out by fitting a high powered fan assembly (blower door) to the external doors of a building which produces a large pressure difference between inside and outside, resulting in  air flow through the building's defects. All house types are required by the Regulations to carry out a test and comply with an air leakage value of 10m3/m2h or less. A smoke pencil is used to demonstrate the areas where leakage is occurring, or alternatively Thermal Imaging can be used.

Why an Air-Tightness Test?

The Building Regulations provisions that came into effect on the 1 July 2008 introduce mandatory air tightness testing for new dwellings.

  • One-off houses must be tested.
  • Housing developments will require a proportion of houses to be tested. This will depend on the numbers of each house type in the development. : 1 to 4 units requires 1 test; 5 to 40 units requires two tests; 41 to 100: requires 5% to be tested; 101units and more requires 2% testing; 101units and more require 5% until 5 successful consecutive tests are achieved and 2% thereafter.
  • The proportion of testing in housing developments should be increased by one where a test doesn’t achieve a 50 Pascals air-pressure and doesn’t comply with building regulations standards. The failed house must also be remedied and retested.
  • Where a number of apartment blocks are constructed on a site, each block must be treated as a separate development irrespective of the number of blocks on the site.

We provide two options:

Option 1

Air Tightness Test + Report  (New and Existing Buildings)

 Cost:  contact us or call us on 087 2159844 for a competitive quote.      Contact Us

Option 2

Air Tightness Test + Report with Thermal Imaging Survey

Important: Our thermographic surveying is often done in conjunction with air tightness testing which de-pressurises the building, making it easier to pick up insulation anomalies and air leakage due to the colder temperatures of the outside air infiltrating into the building.

 Cost: contact us or call us on 087 2159844 for a competitive quote      Contact Us

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