house

Evaluates results from constant concentration tracer gas measurements and fan pressurization measurements in three houses and predicts ventilation rates for longer time periods using the LBL model. Test results show that the best way of both supplying adequate ventilation and conserving energy is to make sure that the building envelope is sufficiently tight and then install a mechanical ventilation system. Shows that it is possible to correlate fan pressurization measurements and infiltration rates.

Uses the building energy program DOE 2.1A with the objective of validating it for use with single-family dwellings. Carries out four studies, each with a different set of conditions. The first involves a single-story house with full basement, while the second involves a single-story house on a slab. Runsblower door tests to estimate infiltration. On a bimonthly basis, simulated heating energy differs from the measured value by up to 11%. The third study, using 75 similar houses with electrical resistance heating, shows an agreement of within 5% between simulated and actual measurements.

Investigates the energy performance of a two storey occupied gas heated house in Ontario Canada by means of steady state and dynamic analyses of measured data. Experimental results were obtained from a monitoring study done on an hourly basis.

Presents results of full-scale pressure measurements on 3 test houses. Discusses the influence of different input parameters, such as leakage characteristics and pressure distribution on the rate of air infiltration, employing a simple calculation model.

Studies the techniques and issues related to evaluating the airtightness of homes. The first section discusses the physics of air infiltration and the techniques used to measure infiltration rates. Also discusses pressurization testing and its relation to infiltration. The second section presents experimental work aimed at several questions raised in the first section. A long term experiment involving weekly pressurization testing of a home reveal the short-term reproducibility of the test results and the seasonal variation in a home's tightness.

Measures the air change rate in 2 atrium houses and in 6 terrace houses. Examines the possibility of allocating the air change to particular rooms by correctly placed and operated exhaust ventilation and ventilation openings. Concludes that in dwellings with mechanical exhaust the fresh air change rate only depends slightly on the ventilation openings being opened or closed, and that it is possible to direct fresh air flow into different rooms if the doors within the house are not tight.

Presents a model for computing the infiltration and air flow between rooms of a multi-room building in terms of basic principles of fluid mechanics. Incorporates model into a comprehensive loads-predicting computer program, and calculates air flows, room temperatures and heating loads for a typical townhouse. When the inter-room openings of a low-rise structure are large compared to the envelope openings, the infiltration and total load can be accurately and more quickly computed by assuming no resistance to air flow between rooms.

Correlates hourly infiltration in 3 adjacent unoccupied test houses to determine the relative contribution of wind and stack effects. The database, obtained using tracer gas techniques over 2000 hourly readings in each house, is sorted to a single 45 degree sector. Different weather sealing techniques give mean infiltration rates of 0.19, 0.45, and 0.59 ach for the 3 houses. Addition of independent wind and temperature induced pressures correlate only part of the weather induced data variability leaving a residual RMS scatter of about 0.004 ach.

Describes air leakage and tracer gas (SF6) measurements made in 42 Scottish houses. Finds that leakage in the "test" (better insulated) houses are on average 10% higher than that in the "control" houses. About 40% of the total leakage rate (at a pressure difference of 50 Pa) flows into houses through thefloor boards and the air-bricks under the crawl spaces. Tracer gas measurements indicate that average leakage rates with closed windows lie between 0.52-1.65 air changes per hour. Opening a window can increase the number of air changes by a factor of 2 to 5.

Describes improvements made in the monitoring of energy consumption in housing in the past decade. Covers the highly instrumented townhouses monitoring of Twin Rivers in the early 1970's, using more than 50 channels of data recording, with appropriate sensors. This has led to simpler systems used to evaluate energy savings following retrofits. In 1977-78, 3-channel utility demand recorders were upgraded to a 12 channel capability, and this worked successfully on more than 30 townhouses.