Gain control of the air in the building and gain control of costs and air quality

With up to 30% of your building’s energy usage to compensate for air leakage, the need to control the air entering and leaving your building is more than an air quality issue, it is also a cost issue. By making a building more airtight and incorporating a balanced ventilation strategy, less of the conditioned air is lost through the building enclosure, reducing the load on the mechanical systems. This not only puts less stress on the mechanical systems, but also allows for more efficiently sized equipment.

With Intertek’s Whole Building Airtightness Testing capabilities, our customers can confirm the building enclosure airtightness performance targets required for code compliance, high performance building standards, or energy efficiency is met.

With technicians trained and certified in Whole Building Airtightness Testing and Infrared Thermography, we have the experience and knowledge to perform various types of airtightness testing, including diagnostic air leakage site detection techniques to assist in finding breaches in the building’s air barrier system. Identifying these deficiencies is critical to resolving performance issues and meeting performance targets.

Because whole building airtightness testing is completed towards the end of a building’s construction, it makes leaky air barrier materials/systems/assemblies difficult to repair, as they are typically inaccessible without removal of finished materials. To assist with this, Intertek’s Building Science Solutions staff can perform building enclosure consulting services during the design and construction phases of the project to increase the potential to achieve a passing test.

Common Test Standards:

  • ASTM E779 Standard Test Method for Determining Air Leakage Rate by Fan Pressurization
  • ASTM E3158 Standard Test Method for Measuring the Air Leakage Rate of a Large or Multizone Building
  • The United States Army Corps of Engineers Air Leakage Test Protocol for Building Envelopes
  • ASTM E1827 Standard Test Methods for Determining Airtightness of Buildings Using an Orifice Blower Door
  • ASTM E1186 Standard Practices for Air Leakage Site Detection in Building Envelopes and Air Barrier Systems
  • ISO 6781 Thermal Insulation Qualitative Detection of Thermal Irregularities in Building Envelopes - Infrared Method
  • ISO 9972 Thermal Performance of buildings – Determination of air permeability of buildings – Fan pressurization method
  • ASTM C1060 Standard Practice for Thermographic Inspection of Insulation Installations in Envelope Cavities of Frame Buildings