Energy efficiency has been one of the key trends in construction, and a growing number of homeowners have been requesting an air tightness test on their property to see what potential energy-saving gains they could garner by stopping heat from escaping.
This is encouraging, as older British homes have many complexities standing in the way of true energy efficiency and air tightness, especially for many of the older homes that are still on the market.
Here are some of the biggest problems with making homes airtight and how they could potentially be solved.
Victorian Ventilation
If you own a home that dates back to the 19th century, you may have noticed air bricks in the side of the house, along with gaps in the windows and doors. These are all by design as during that period the main source of heat in a home was a central fireplace.
They would pull in air from the outside and send smoke up the chimney and required a certain level of inefficiency to stop smoke from settling into the home, and the net result was a warm if somewhat draughty home.
Ensuring Both Airtightness And Ventilation
A complex balancing act in creating energy-efficient homes is ensuring that a house is airtight but also has enough ventilation to maintain high indoor air quality.
Too little ventilation can cause issues such as mould and the build-up of harmful chemicals but can be fixed by using whole-house mechanical ventilation or a heat-exchange unit to help improve indoor air quality.
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