English

An attempt was made to make the super-insulated Saskatchewan Conservation House as air-tight as possible, to avoid heat loss. By lapping all joints in the vapour barrier over solid backing, by continuous sealing of all joins, and by protecting the vapour barrier with solid covering, the natural air-change rate(A/C)was decreased to 1/20 change per hour. At this rate, induced air change was necessary to control odour and humidity. Most of these details could be modified to make any insulated house air-tight.

Investigates a rational method of utilizing recent improvements in wind tunnel techniques and meteorological data, to estimate potential wind-generated air flow through housing in hot humid climates. The method uses mean pressure differences obtained from solid wind tunnel models together with appropriate discharge coefficients for rectangular openings. Changes in pressure distributions due to typical openings through models indicated that the use of pressure data from solid models results in errors similar to those associated with the local wind data.

Presents and discusses mean pressure coefficients averaged over the entire side of a building, obtained from measurements made on models of rectangular flat-roofed buildings made in a boundary layer wind tunnel. Describes measurement technique and data collection. Pressure coefficients based on either a local reference wind speed or a reference wind speed measured at the level of the building have been computed. Gives example and a comparison with existing building codes and standards.

Presents a proposal for an Indoor Climate Standard, to be included in the building codes of the nordic countries. The standard comprises two parts: 1) air quality and ventilation, 2) thermal environment. The paper presents and discusses the main features of the two parts of the standard. Mechanical ventilation is required in all buildings including dwellings at a minimum outdoor air change of 0.5/h. Limits for operative temperature and for thermal non-uniformity are given for winter and summer conditions.

A major study of wind loads on low-rise buildings has culminated in a relatively simple formulation for the wind loading for such structures. These proposed load requirements reflect many important aspects of the wind action, such as the predominance of unsteady loads, the reduction in effective loading with increased tributary area, and the provision of separate sets of loads, intended to be used together, for design of primary structural members.

Describes an energy audit procedure developed for determining economically optimal retrofits for a residential building. This audit is a microprocessor -based, interactive, site and house specific package addressing conservation, solar and wind measures. A dymnamic model of heating and cooling load is used to evaluate fuel savings. Special attention is given to the estimation of monthly average air infiltration rates, using a model correlating pressurization results with air infiltration under natural weather conditions.

Reports investigation of mean and fluctuating pressure inside buildings, induced by wind using boundary layer wind tunnel and computer simulation techniques. Mean and root-mean-square fluctuating internal pressure coefficients were both found to be monotonic functions of the ratio of windward to leeward opening areas.< The case of a single windward opening was treated as a damped Helmholtz resonator.

Airflow inside air-conditioned rooms needs to be determined experimentally using test rooms. The test room dimensions vary because a test room must represent a section which is characteristic of the original room dimensions. The flow pattern is made visible; the velocities, and in some cases the gas concentration is measured. The experiments are done under thermal steady-state conditions. Some general results are:

Reviews literature on the health effects of indoor air pollutants in energy-efficient homes with low ventilation rates. Discusses hazards from gas cooking, formaldehyde, radon and other pollutants. Suggests air infiltration rate of 0.5 air changes/hour to keep indoor pollution to below critical levles. Also suggests installation of an air-to-air heat exchanger or electronic air cleaner.

Summarises measurements of natural outdoor environmental radiation made in the Eastern United States, in New England and in Western Europe. Also reports measurements made in single family and multiple-family dwellings in the metropolitan New York area. The general conclusion from the indoor measurements is that the radiation level inside houses in that area is generally somewhat lower than, but not very different from, the outdoor levelat the same location.