The prediction of ventilation rates in houses and the implications for energy conservation

Developes mathematical model of air infiltration based on crack flow equations. Describes measurements made on test house. Shows that actual pressure distributions in walls deviate considerably from values in guidebooks. Finds background leakage area of house by pressurizing house with electric fan and measuring pressures. Suggests two distributions for leakage areas. Measures infiltration rate using helium tracer gas, recording temperature and pressure differences. Concludes that comparison between prediction and experimental results is encouraging. NOTES A further development of this model is given in Alexander D.K. and Etheridge D.W. "The British gas multi-cell model for calculating ventilation" abstract no.514