Analysis of air change rates in Swedish residential buildings.

Measurements on the rate of air exchange in residential buildings have been carried out by the Swedish Institute for Building Research since 1970. The results of an analysis of these measurements are presented in this paper for about 500 buildings not having mechanical ventilation. The studied buildings include one- and two-storey, detached, single- family houses, row houses, and multifamily residential buildings built between 1900 and 1982 and of various design. In some cases, the buildings have been retrofitted by improving the insulation of the attic or the exterior walls. The building sites vary from freely exposed to a sheltered urban environment. Tracer gas measurements using the decay technique have been used for the determination of the rate of air exchange. In about 300 cases, the measurement of air change rates has been complemented by measurements using pressurization techniques. Data on 50other paramenters also have been collected.