Airtightness in UK dwellings: a review of some recent measurements.

The objectives of this paper are to review measurements of airtightness in two domestic refurbishment projects in England, and to attempt to determine the effects of basic construction method and approach to refurbishment on airtightness. Both refurbishment projects involved groups of two storey dwellings, constructed in load bearing cavity masonry. While the total number of houses involved in the work reported here is small, the results suggest that a substantial fraction of the existing UK dwelling stock could, in principle be made air-tight enough to justify the use of continuous mechanical ventilation on energy grounds. However, this may be significantly more difficult to achieve in dwellings built since 1970 due to changes in the method of wall construction.