Methodology for the Study of the Envelope Airtightness of Residential Buildings in Spain: A Case Study

Abstract

Air leakage and its impact on the energy performance of dwellings has been broadly studied in countries with cold climates in Europe, US, and Canada. However, there is a lack of knowledge in this field in Mediterranean countries. Current Spanish building regulations establish ventilation rates based on ideal airtight envelopes, causing problems of over-ventilation and substantial energy losses. The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology that allows the characterization of the envelope of the housing stock in Spain in order to adjust ventilation rates taking into consideration air leakage. A methodology that is easily applicable to other countries that consider studying the airtightness of the envelope and its energetic behaviour improvement is proposed. A statistical sampling method has been established to determine the dwellings to be tested, considering relevant variables concerning airtightness: climate zone, year of construction, and typology. The air leakage rate is determined using a standardized building pressurization technique according to European Standard EN 13829. A representative case study has been presented as an example of the implementation of the designed methodology and results are compared to preliminary values obtained from the database.

The Passivhaus Standard in the Spanish Mediterranean: Evaluation of a House’s Thermal Behaviour of Enclosures and Airtightness

“…The corresponding graphs were obtained and there was an n 50 air infiltration value of 50 Pa. To characterise the information obtained, the Minneapolis Blower Door Model 3 software (TEC-TITE 5.0) was used. This tool was developed specifically to describe 140 parameters that possibly intervene in the filtration phenomenon [55]. These parameters were collected in a database used to perform a general evaluation of the results.…”

Effect of Airtightness on Thermal Loads in Legacy Low-Income Housing

“…A number of studies have been conducted on airtightness in single-family homes in northern Europe [2][3][4][5][6] and the United States [7][8][9] over the last three decades. It has also been an emerging field of research over the last 10 years in southern Europe, Spain included [10][11][12][13][14], where the Infiles research project [15] presently underway has been enlarging the country's airtightness database [16][17][18][19][20] using a standardised measuring protocol to ensure comparability of the findings.…”

Energy Modelling and Calibration of Building Simulations: A Case Study of a Domestic Building with Natural Ventilation

“…The most significant energy losses occur through the envelope, due poor insulation, ventilation, and infiltration. Additionally, studies have shown that losses due to air leaks can generate problems of lower thermal comfort, in addition to a deterioration in ventilation systems [5].…”

“…Methods have been developed to determine the building air change rate (ACR) in residential buildings [1] and its impact on the energy performance studied within cold climate countries [5]. The most widespread technique used is the blower door test that quantifies the flow of air due to losses when a pressure difference is applied in a sealed building.…”