Air Permeability Test Results

We are hoping to get our house certified by the Passive House Institute in Germany.

The Passive House register of can be searched at
http://www.passivhausprojekte.de/projekte.php

Building envelope air-tightness is a key requirement for certification by the Passive House Institute. The house must achieve Air leakage through unsealed joints of less than 0.6 times the house volume per hour.
For further details on the basic features that distinguish a passive house please review
http://www.passivehouse.com/English/PassiveH.HTM

On the 12th November 2010 Ronan Rodgers from Energy Matters arrive on site to perform the Air Permeability and Thermography testing. A door blower was installed as shown below

We achieve a figure of 0.27 air changes per hour. Easily exceeding the Passive House Institute requirement of 0.6. Ronan commented "The result is a truly excellent!   It far exceeds any result I have ever tested"

 

Getting such an excellent result was down to the several factors including the house type. Building a rectangular single storey makes it more straightforward to envelope the interior with the vapour barrier. But without doubt the key success factor was having skilled tradesmen. Next to Lars himself no one is more familiar with Scandinavian Homes that Flaherty & Goaley. Peter & John have worked with Scandinavian Homes for almost 20 years and have erected practically all of the house. Both appreciate the attention to detail that is required at key stages of construction. Any shortcuts taken will surface at test time. Some examples include:
1. Fitting ceiling battens and plasterboard
2. Using quality (age-proof) tapes and adhesives
3. Working closely with plumbers and electrician to ensure those trades work carefully to ensure they do no compromise the air-tightness