Evaluating methods for estimating whole house air infiltration rates in summer: implications for overheating and indoor air quality

What is it about?

Air infiltration (and exfiltration), i.e. the air which moves in (and out) of a building through cracks and gaps in the building fabric affects how much heat a building loses, and how much outdoor air enters. Measuring infiltration can be time consuming and expensive so infiltration estimation methods are commonly used. However, there is growing evidence that these method are unreliable. This work adds important knowledge on the reliability of infiltration estimation methods in summer. All eleven estimation methods trialled were unable to reliable predict infiltration which has implications for the prediction of overheating and the assessment of indoor air quality. It is suggested that on of the existing methods is refined and improved to make more reliable estimations of infiltration rate during summertime in typical UK homes.

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