The Use of Blower-Door Data1

Abstract

The role of ventilation in the housing stock is to provide fresh air and to dilute internally generated pollutants in order to assure adequate indoor air quality. Blower doors are used to measure the air tightness and air leakage of building envelopes. As existing dwellings in the United States are ventilated primarily through leaks in the building shell (i.e., infiltration) rather than by whole-house mechanical ventilation systems, accurate understanding of the uses of blower-door data is critical Blower doors can be used to answer the following questions: • What is the Construction Quality of the Building Envelope? • Where are the Air Leakage Pathways? • How Tight is the Building? • How Much Ventilation Does the Air Leakage Supply? • How Much Energy Does the Air Leakage Lose? • Is this Building Too Tight? • Is this. Building Too Loose? • When Should Mechanical Ventilation be Considered? Various ASHRAE Standards (e.g., 62, 119, and 136) are used to determine acceptable ventilation levels and energy requirements.