Measurement of air leakage of houses.

Reports tests of the air leakage of 24 houses made using a fan to depressurize each house. Gives a table of results including indoor humidity, air-particulate levels, energy consumption and comfort conditions for each house. Comparison of test results with calculated values for air leakage suggests than doors and windows account for only a fraction of the total. Finds some correlation between indoor humidity, air-particulate levels and leakage.

Infiltration and air leakage comparisons : conventional and energy-efficient housing designs.

Describes results of measurements of air leakage, surface pressures and air infiltration for several conventional and energy efficient houses located throughout the United States. The measurements are compared with predicted infiltration obtained from a simple model combining measured air leakage values and average surface pressures. It was found that within limits therewas reasonable agreement between measurements and predictions. Particular features of the energy efficient houses which reduce air leakage, and therefore air infiltration, are described.

Window design strategies to conserve energy.

A multitude of design strategies are available to achieve energy-efficient windows. Opportunities for improving window performance fall into six groups: site, exterior appendages, frame, glazing interior accessories, and building interior. Design strategies within these groups can improve one or more of the six energy functions of windows : solar heating, daylighting, shading, insulation, air tightness and ventilation. Gives 33 strategies for energy saving. Includes information on weatherstripping windbreaks, shutters, multiple glazing and many others.

Air-to-air heat exchangers : saving energy and improving air quality.

Describes the use of mechanical ventilation coupled with heat recovery devices in residential buildings to maintain acceptable indoor air quality and conserve energy. Gives tables showing the energy saving possible with a heat exchanger.

Detection of nanogram quantities of sulphur hexafluoride by electron capture methods.

Suggests use of an electron capture detector for the routine estimation of the SF6 content of a mixture of gases without preliminary chromatographic separation. Gives chromatogram illustrating method.

Combustion-generated indoor air pollution.

Describes Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory's air pollution research project, giving the main goals, parameters to be measured and instrumentation. Describes studies, using an experimental room of 27 cu.m., which measure the emissions from a gas stove operating under air change rates of from 0.25 to 10 changes per hour. Gives graphs of results. Finds that gas stoves generate extremely high concentrations of pollutants when the air change rate is less than one per hour.

Calculating infiltration : an examination of handbook models.

Discusses the two methods for calculating air infiltration given in the ASHRAE handbook. These are the air change method, a gross estimate based on the number of windows and doors in each room, and the crack method based on measurements of flow through the cracks around windows and doors. Presents comparisons of tracer gas measurements with calculations by both air change and crack methods for test houses in California and Minnesota. Find agreement is adequate for sizing equipment but that the crack method underestimates infiltration at low wind velocity.

Ridge vent effects on model ventilation characteristics.

Increasing use is made of open front or cold confinement buildings for fattening beef cattle. Reports model study of an open front beef confinement building a) to evaluate the effects of ridge vent design on airflow characteristics and temperature and b) to determine prediction equations forthe relationship between wind velocity and outlet velocity. Reviews literature on the subject. Compares results with previous studies. Discusses relationships between outlet velocity, wind speed and temperature difference. Recommends open and baffled ridge vents.

An air infiltration model for modern single family dwellings.

Discusses five different models for predicting air infiltration. Presents a new model developed at the Institute of Gas Technology. The model is based on the results of tests to obtain the contribution of the existence of a chimney, and furnace operation, to house air infiltration. Reports verification of model by simulating results from 23 test homes. Concludes that model simulates with reasonable accuracy the measured values for a single-storey home equipped with an oil-fired central furnace.

Application of a generalised model of air infiltration to existing homes.

Presents examples of the use of a generalized model of air infiltration, developed earlier, to estimate the air infiltration characteristics of two test homes using data for the structures, weather and furnace installation. One of these is a single-storey home with basement of wood- frame construction, equipped with an oil-fired central heating furnace.

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