Airtightness Testing

NetRet Air Permeability Testing Service

About Airtightness Testing

The Benefits of Airtightness Testing Airtightness testing is essential for ensuring energy efficiency in buildings. By identifying and sealing air leaks, it not only eliminates draughts and reduces winter heating bills but also provides multiple benefits for both homeowners and the environment. Airtightness testing measures how much air can leak through the building envelope, helping to identify areas that need improvement to reduce energy loss.

Who Needs an Airtightness Test and Why Is It Important?

Airtightness testing measures the extent of air leakage in a building, which is the uncontrolled flow of air lost through holes, gaps, or cracks in the building structure. New properties, in particular, must undergo airtightness testing to ensure adequate airflow within the building structure to meet regulations. For more detailed information on air tightness in buildings, please refer to our blog post.

Contact

NetRet Air Permeability Testing Service:

  • NetRet is the only organisation in the UK with fully compliant Ofqual level 3 qualified testers​​.
  • The service delivers minimal disruption to homeowners and is competitively priced, offering a gold standard service.

Pre and Post-Inspections

Our comprehensive airtightness testing service includes both pre and post-inspections to ensure maximum efficiency and performance:

  • Pre-Inspections: Conducting an airtightness test before starting any major insulation project helps to identify existing air leaks and informs the development of a targeted strategy for sealing these leaks. This initial assessment is crucial for understanding the current performance of the building's envelope.
  • Post-Inspections: After the installation of energy efficiency measures (EEMs), a post-inspection airtightness test is conducted to verify the effectiveness of the interventions. This follow-up test ensures that air leakage has been significantly reduced, confirming the success of the retrofit measures and protecting the building structure from moisture issues and further heat loss.

By offering both pre and post-inspections, we provide a thorough approach to improving your building's energy efficiency and ensuring compliance with the latest standards and regulations.

Air Tightness Regulations

According to the new PAS2035:2023, an airtightness test must be conducted to quantify air leakage loss. With the release of SAP 10.2, the potential increase in SAP score is up to 3 points.

Benefits of Airtightness Testing: 

  1. Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings:
    • Reduced Energy Bills: By identifying and sealing air leaks, buildings become more energy-efficient, leading to lower heating and cooling costs.
    • Improved Thermal Comfort: Enhanced airtightness ensures consistent indoor temperatures, improving occupant comfort.
  2. Enhanced Building Performance:
    • Compliance with Regulations: Airtightness testing ensures compliance with Part L of the Building Regulations, focusing on the conservation of fuel and power​​.
    • Better Indoor Air Quality: Reducing air leakage helps maintain better control over ventilation systems, thereby improving indoor air quality.
  3. Environmental Impact:
    • Lower Carbon Emissions: Improved airtightness reduces energy consumption, lowering the carbon footprint of buildings.
    • Sustainability: Promoting airtightness aligns with broader sustainability goals and helps meet national and international environmental targets.
  4. Financial Incentives and Funding:
    • Access to Funding: Airtightness testing is often a requirement for accessing funding under various schemes such as ECO 4, ORP, and The Great British Insulation Scheme.
    • Enhanced Property Value: Energy-efficient buildings are more attractive to tenants and buyers, potentially increasing property values and rental incomes.

Involvement with PAS Standards: 

  1. PAS 2030:2023 and PAS 2035:2023:
    • Integration with Retrofit Projects: PAS 2030:2023 specifies the requirements for installing energy efficiency measures in existing buildings, while PAS 2035:2023 outlines the framework for assessing and designing retrofit projects. Airtightness testing is a crucial component in both standards, ensuring retrofit measures are effective.
    • Airtightness Strategy: Where the retrofit design includes any energy efficiency measures (EEMs) for the improvement of the building fabric (e.g., insulation, airtightness, replacement windows), the Retrofit Designer or Coordinator must develop an airtightness and air leakage testing strategy as part of the retrofit design.
  2. Explain the Benefits of Air Leakage Testing and the Risks of Not Doing So:
    • An air leakage test verifies that there are no major air leaks through the installed EEMs. Ideally, a test should be conducted before and after any major insulation project to verify that air leakage has been reduced through the building's external envelope, protecting the building structure from moisture problems and reducing heat loss.
  3. Quality Assurance:
    • Compliance with PAS standards ensures that retrofit projects are carried out to a high standard, providing reassurance to funding bodies, tenants, and other stakeholders.

Certification and Compliance: 

  1. Certification Bodies:
    • Housing associations and local authorities must work with certification bodies recognised under PAS 2030 to ensure that all retrofit projects, including airtightness testing, comply with the latest standards.
  2. Regular Audits:
    • Regular audits and inspections are conducted as part of PAS requirements to ensure ongoing compliance, maintaining the integrity and performance of the implemented energy efficiency measures.

Optimum Retrofit Program (ORP)

The focus of ORP 3 is on optimising the thermal and energy efficiency of Welsh social homes. Landlords are encouraged to optimise insulation, maximise air tightness, and carefully consider ventilation to reduce heat loss and make homes ‘fabric ready.’ This approach balances the cost of making homes fabric ready against the provision of technological measures to reduce running costs and carbon emissions.

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