Leaky homes are harder to heat and cool and can account for higher energy bills and reduced air quality. Recently, air sealing has become an essential element in zero net energy homes.
Western AeroBarrier and HERSratingLA teams
Air leakage in a typical home, as measured with a blower door test, might have an air leakage rate of 4.0 to 5.0 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals (ACH50). Most zero energy homes now push the leakage rate to 1.0 or 2.0, while Passive House requires a maximum leakage of 0.6 ACH50.
Recently, the Allen team worked with our client and Western AeroBarrier to seal a home and achieve an ACH50 of .47.
Automated sprayers disseminate sealant inside the building
AeroBarrier technology, using a GreenGuard Gold Certified, non-toxic, water-based sealant, finds and fills gaps in the building envelope as small as a human hair and up to .5 inches in just a few hours. The process uses a modified blower door to pressurize the building and automated sprayers to disseminate a fog of sealant inside. As the air is forced out through the cracks and gaps in the building envelope, the sealant travels along with it, accumulating on the edges of the openings, and eventually fills in all the gaps. This process can be monitored in real time and can achieve a specified level of air tightness to meet energy performance goals. In this case, the homeowner wanted to achieve an ACH50 of less than .5.
Results can be monitored in real time
After prepping the 4,000 square foot home by taping off the doors and windows, the process took about 3.5 hours to go from an ACH50 of greater than 5 to surpass the goal ending at .47, an impressive 91.2% reduction in envelope leakage.
Benefits of Envelope Sealing:
· Improved Indoor Air Quality
· Improve System Performance
· Improve Home Comfort
· Lower Energy Bills
Equipment Check
Blower Door Installation
