Air tightness tests on 200 new houses across Canada. Summary of results

A database on the airtightness performance of houses built according to current construction practices (1980 to 82) was established, province by province, across Canada. Airtightness tests were conducted using the fan-depressurisation method and the results were compared by province, builder, house style, and house size. The survey shows considerable variation in the leakiness of the houses when the results are compared by province. Less variation in airtightness exists when the houses are compared by builder, house style, and house size on a provincial basis. The results suggest that builders in Canada should have little difficulty in constructing houses with a 50% improvement in the level of airtightness at little extra cost.