Effectiveness of draught reduction measures at improving building air-tightness

Abstract

The building sector has a serious detrimental impact on the environment and reducing building energy requirements is an important environmental priority. Draughts (unmanaged air infiltration and exfiltration in buildings) can significantly increase building heating demand. Draught reduction measures (stripping building elements and chimneys balloons) are low cost and suitable for all building typologies and ages. This paper measures the effectiveness of draught reduction measures on reducing building air permeability for six case study houses; three Victorian and three mid-20th century houses. The air permeability of the buildings in this study ranged from 8-16.4 m3/m2hr with the chimneys sealed. A combination of draught reduction measures reduced air leakage from the case study houses by 10-35%. Chimney balloons in unused fireplaces were the most effective means of minimising air leakage by between c.220-500m3/hr per chimney. The study confirms that draught reduction measures are a viable and efficient method of eliminating unnecessary heat loss from buildings.