Airtightness of buildings in Poland

Implementation of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) introduced the first legal airtightness regulations into the 2008 Polish Building Codes. Unfortunately these provisions are currently not sufficiently precise or developed in relation to testing procedures to ensure appropriate airtightness. Generally there is a low level of awareness, experience and knowledge among architects, designers, investors, contractors and there are no certification requirements imposed for measurement companies. Currently there has been little incentive to construct airtight buildings but this could improve with new initiatives. It is concluded, that with the right encouragement, even small buildings can be constructed to tighter values than the currently required n50 value of 1.5 air changes per hour (ac/h). In larger buildings n50 values between 0.3 and 0.5 ac/h can be achieved quite easily. Unfortunately much work is hampered by a lack of specialist knowledge and because measurements are not compulsory. This paper presents a general overview of the building airtightness requirements and measurement issues in Poland. Some representative airtightness measurement data are presented for available residential and commercial buildings.