2. Draught Finder Trevor Clark Draughts v Ventilation Qualified L1
Air Tester & Thermographer
Affiliate Member BINDT
(British Institute of Non Destructive Testing)
Independent Airtightness Testing Scheme
UK Thermography Association

3. An Airtight building MUST have sufficient ventilation.
2. Draughts v Ventilation
What is the difference between …
Air Leakage (Draughts) & Ventilation ?
Air Leakage = the UNCONTROLLED entry or exit of air!
Unknown amounts of energy required to maintain comfort conditions -
Until the Utility Bill drops through your letter box!
VENTILATION = the CONTROLLED entry or exit of air!
Known amounts of energy required to maintain comfort conditions
No great shocks when the bill drops through your letter box!
No problems with condensation or health issues
Uncontrolled Air Leakage
(Draughts)
= Higher Energy Bills
An Airtight building MUST have sufficient ventilation.

4. Draughts v Ventilation
Why do we need Ventilation ?
VENTILATION is required for two important reasons;
1. To provide fresh oxygenated air, for us to breathe
2. To remove moist air
Water held in the air

5. Draughts v Ventilation
Why do we need Ventilation ?
Dry air can be BAD FOR HUMAN HEALTH.
Not enough and we suffer from dry respiratory problems
If less than 30% RH for extended periods
Over time, exposure to low humidity can dry out and inflame the mucous membrane lining your respiratory tract. When this natural barrier is no longer working properly, it increases your risk of colds, the flu, and other infections. Further, in low humidity certain viruses may be able to survive longer.
Wet air can be BAD FOR HUMAN HEALTH.
Too much and Condensation forms leading to mould growth, which can seriously affect our health
If more than 80%RH for extended periods
Over time, exposure to high humidity can increase the risk of the following;
Moisture is the prime breeding ground of bacteria.
When there high moisture levels in a home, higher cockroach and mouse allergens exist, these homes not considered healthy environments for asthmatic kids, their waste material is a known trigger of asthma, and these pests flourish in damp environments.
Dust mites thrive in warm, moist environments and thrive in temperatures around 26°C and humidity levels above 60 percent. Keep RH below 50 percent humidity to stop dust mite growth.
Data suggests that mould itself can cause respiratory illnesses and allergic reactions

6. Draughts v Ventilation
Why do we need Ventilation ?
Moist air can be Bad for BUILDINGS.
It may surprise you to know that moisture in the air can cause major damage to the building structure.
Moist warm air within a building can move through gaps in the structure if the building is not air tight.
As it passes through holes to the colder outside it condenses within the insulation or structure itself.
This water provides an environment most suitable for bacteria, mould and fungi to start growing. The spores for these organisms are carried in the air and are present everywhere, they are just waiting for the right conditions to start to grow again!
It may take many years, but behind what appears to be a strong structure, from the occupants viewpoint, is slowly deteriorating and could one day fail completely.
It could all be happening behind the wall where you cannot see.
Another reason to have your building Inspected for Air Tightness, and then seal those gaps?
The risks of under provision of ventilation include
Building Damage
POOR AIR QUALITY
CONDENSATION
Leading to mould growth with potentially serious HEALTH issues

7. Draughts v Ventilation
How will an Air Tightness Inspection help with Ventilation?
Having an Air Tightness Inspection of your building will establish how much air is flowing through your building.
This can then be lowered by sealing the air gaps, which will reducing this figure.
Another Air Tightness Inspection may be required and the results of this final Inspection are used by the Ventilation Design Engineer to provide a system that controls the correct amount of air to ventilate your building while reducing energy use.
Having a ventilation system correctly designed will eliminate condensation problems and provide a healthy living environment.

8. Draughts v Ventilation
What benefits will an Air Tight building have ?
Lower ENERGY RUNNING COSTS, less energy input
Improved COMFORT CONDITIONS, steady temperatures
Improved INDOOR AIR QUALITY, providing sufficient ventilation is installed
Quicker HEAT UP TIME, retaining heat longer.
Less DIRT & GRIME, brought into the building, Reduced Washing cycles
Improved INSULATION PERFORMANCE, prevents air blowing through or around insulation
Improved ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE, less noise transmitted
Improved OCCUPANCY SATISFACTION, fewer complaints from tenants, reduced rent disputes
Avoidance of moisture related BUILDING DAMAGE, lower maintenance
Lower ENERGY CAPITAL EQUIPMENT COSTS, smaller replacements required
Improved BUILDING STANDARDS, Builders take more care when building
Less CO² used in heating or cooling – Helping Government meet CO² reduction targets
Air flowing through and around insulation takes heat away rapidly, ruining the insulation performance. Energy Auditors take the U value calculation and reduce it by a factor of between 25 & 50% after looking at the gaps in poorly installed insulation.

9. Draughts v Ventilation
So how much does air leakage cost?
Past Air Tightness
Air Changes per Hour
Volume of Building m³
Air Infiltration Volume m³/hr
Energy required per m³/1°C ( kW) kW
Energy required m³ for average 15°C Increase kW
Energy cost £0.085/kW (Approximation)
Energy cost per 24 hours £'s
Energy cost per heating season of 120 days £'s
1950's 20
185
3700
1.30
19.43
£1.651
£39.63
£4,755.24
1990's 15
2775
0.97
14.57
£1.238
£29.72
£3,566.43
2005 10
1850
0.65
9.71
£0.826
£19.81
£2,377.62
2014 5
925
0.32
4.86
£0.413
£9.91
£1,188.81
Best Practice 3
555
0.19
2.91
£0.248
£5.94
£713.29
Passive House
0.6
111
0.04
0.58
£0.050
£1.19
£142.66
1950’s 20 Air Changes
Current Best Practice 3 Air Changes
Passive House
Less than 0.6 Air Changes
(NOTE: in the above example, the calculation is just for the air leakage - we would not have the heating on 24/7 & there are other variables that would change this final calculation, which is for illustration purposes only to indicate the amount of energy used to maintain the set temperature in similar buildings with different levels of draught sealing. It does not take account of the heat transfer through walls or heat input by the occupants or other energy devices within the building & assumes the same boiler type & efficiency)
ACD – Ventilation Engineers require the Infiltration Rate – the number of natural air changes to work out the correct size for the ventilation system. The only way to provide this information ACCURATLEY is from an Air Tightness Test.
For comparison purposes only, air leakage over the years has improved. These costs are for the energy replacement costs caused by draughts – uncontrolled air flow through the building.
Where does your building sit in the chart above?
The only way to confirm the Air Permeability or how ‘leaky’ a building is to -
Perform an Air Tightness Test

10. 1. MOST EFFECTIVE 2. CHEAPEST 3. PERMANENT Draughts v Ventilation
We can FIND the Draughts that Increase your heating costs. (it’s what we do!)
Finding & Sealing Draughts (air leaks) is one of the ….
1. MOST EFFECTIVE
2. CHEAPEST
3. PERMANENT
Means of increasing the energy performance of ANY building!
An Air Tightness Test should be performed on ANY building where a heating system is being replaced.
WHY? – because if you stop air leaks (draughts) you won’t need as big a heating source (boiler), & especially with a Heat Pump.
Smaller Boiler,
Less Cost,
Less Energy Used,
Lower Running Costs!
SAVING MONEY ALL ROUND

11. Trevor Clark Draughts v Ventilation
If you are experiencing any of the problems in the previous slides, please call TREVOR for an informal discussion on how we can help reduce your heating costs Mob:
Trevor Clark
Qualified Air Tester & Thermographer
Thank you for reading …. Check out our other Slide Presentations in this series