Hot news

2013 AIVC conference. Athens, Greece, September 25-26 2013. Over 120 abstracts received. Registration OPEN. Webinar – Building Airtightness Solutions: Recent Research and Characterisation of Sealants and Tapes. June 4 2013. More information and registration.
BUILDAIR symposium. Hannover, Germany, June 7-8 2013. More information. REHVA Journal 01/13: TightVent contributes to the special issue on airtightness. More information.
Posted in Hot News

Webinar – Building Airtightness Solutions: Recent Research and Characterisation of Sealants and Tapes – June 4

While building airtightness is a key concern in Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings in most European climates, there exists already a wide range of commercially-available products specifically designed to minimize leakage in building envelopes.

The objective of this webinar is to give information on the performance and properties of these products based on research including laboratory and field tests. The speakers will also provide information on standards already published and under development on this subject.

Free registration: Participation to the webinar is FREE but requires registration. Click here to register.

Download the flyer.

TightVentWebinarProgramme_20130604

Posted in Products, Webinar

TightVent releases 2 publications in close collaboration with AIVC

TightVent Europe has produced two reports in close collaboration with the AIVC:

Building air leakage databases in energy conservation policies: analysis of selected initiatives in 4 European countries and the USA
This document summarizes the information from five countries: Czech Republic, France, Germany, UK, and USA and provides an overview of recent efforts from a number of countries.

TightVentReport04TightVentReport03

Building airtightness: a critical review of testing, reporting and quality schemes in 10 countries
This report gives a critical review of steps taken in 10 countries (Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Japan, Sweden, UK, USA) with regard to testing and reporting schemes as well as overall quality approaches to improve building airtightness.

View all TightVent reports

Posted in Hot News

TightVent welcomes Aeroseal as new partner

TightVent is very pleased to welcome Aeroseal,  solution provider for ductwork sealing for new and re-used systems, as new partner.

Aeroseal offers an effective solution for testing and sealing ductwork leakage from the inside using a water-based sealant.  The Aeroseal application is capable of sealing new and existing ductwork in commercial and residential buildings. Aeroseal’s aerosol ductwork sealing technology was invented and developed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 1994. Aeroseal is looking forward to creating a long lasting relationship with TightVent Europe, and maintaining high efficiency within buildings. -Aeroseal
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Learn about TightVent founding partners

Posted in Hot News, Partners

REHVA Journal 01/13: Special issue on airtightness

TightVent has contributed to the REHVA Journal special issue on airtightness of January 2013. rj1301_cover_300ppi

Airtightness related articles include:

  • Building and ductwork airtightness – a critical factor for nearly zero energy buildings
  • Summary of the AIVC-TightVent conference 2012:
    Ventilation and health track – Willem de Gids
    Ventilative cooling track – Per Heiselberg
    Airtightness track – Arnold Janssens
  • Interviews: Industry visions on R&D for better buildings in the future – Lone Feifer, Claus Bugge Garn, Lars-Ake Mattsson
  • Proper building preparation for envelope airtightness testing – Christophe Delmotte
  • Performing intermediate checks and early-stage testing of airtightness – Tormod Aurlien
  • Research into the effect of improving airtightness in a typical UK dwelling – Rob Coxon
  • Swedish experience with airtight ductwork – Johnny Andersson
  • Ductwork airtightness requirements in Portugal – Eduardo Maldonado and Fernando Brito
  • Evaluation of air leakage and its influence on thermal demands of office buildings in Madrid – Jordi Pascual, Aleksander Ivancic, Maria Casanova, Oscar Camara and Damien Tavan

Download full-text complete pdf version of journal here:  1/2013 (pdf)
or read and download pdf full-text articles…

Posted in Hot News

Workshop – Quality of Ventilation Systems in Residential Buildings

AIVC TightVent Europe

While it is generally accepted that a ventilation system in a building—whether natural, mechanical or hybrid—is needed to provide acceptable indoor air quality and prevent building damage, there are debates about the actual performance of these systems and how the deviations observed affect the overall buildings performance and the well-being or safety and health of the occupants. These debates are increasingly active given the sensitivity of new and renovated buildings on energy use and indoor air quality depending on the field characteristics of ventilation systems.

This is the reason why several initiatives have arisen in the past few years either to characterize ventilation system installation performance in residential buildings or to improve their quality through voluntary or regulatory schemes. This has brought to light questions such as:

  • What is the knowledge regarding the quality of ventilation systems in residential buildings in various countries?
  • What is the status with existing approaches to improve the quality of these systems?
  • What can we learn from targeted efforts to characterize or monitor real ventilation system performance?
  • How can quality frameworks help improve the situation and how can they converge with existing regulations or programmes?

A major objective of this workshop is to discuss pros and cons of existing approaches as well as ways to explore to improve the situation with key experts from various countries. A major focus of the presentations will be on the schemes developed to secure the quality of the ventilation systems in residential buildings. This entails in particular the development of quality labels and performance display for products, qualification schemes for installers, design and installation guidelines, and training for designers and craftsmen, as well as the implementation of commissioning protocols, maintenance protocols, regular inspections and real performance measurements.

In addition to the workshop proceedings, an expected outcome of the workshop involves a critical review of the pros and cons of the approaches presented during the event, including proposals for improvements.

The workshop will begin 18 March at 09:15 and end 19 March at 13:00. It will be followed by another 1.5-day international workshop on ventilative cooling.

More information on programme and venue.

Posted in Conference, Hot News, Quality

8th International BUILDAIR Symposium – June 7-8 2013 in Hannover, Germany

BUILDAIR

  • Following the successful symposium held in Berlin in 2011 and 2012, TightVent is very pleased to pursue its collaboration with BUILDAIR.
  • The 8th International BUILDAIR-Symposium “Airtight Buildings, Thermography and Ventilation Systems in Practice” offers a variety of presentations and firsthand accounts of experiences in planning and practicing air tightness measurements, quality controls, thermographies and ventilation systems.
  • More information on http://buildair.eu
Posted in Conference

AIVC Airtightness Workshop – 18-19 April 2013, Washington DC area

Design, Implementation, Control and Durability:

Feedback from Practice and Perspectives

The AIVC workshop on airtightness which will be held April 18th-19th, 2013 in Rockville, near Washington DC.

TightVent is pleased to partner with AIVC for this event which will also be the 3rd TightVent Workshop on Building and Ductwork Airtightness, thereby continuing the series initiated with the two successful international workshops held in Brussels in June 2010 and March 2012.

The workshop includes presentations from several countries on a variety of issues, approaches and solutions in their different contexts. Presentations will emphasize recent developments in test methods, building airtightness performance data, approaches to design, construction and commissioning that contribute to good airtightness performance, and the development of airtightness requirements in codes, standards and regulations. While much of the discussion will focus on commercial and other high-rise buildings, the workshop will also address residential buildings.

More information on venue, programme, and registration

Papers selected for Long Oral Presentation

Policy and Requirements

  • The changing requirements on airtightness in the US. Wagdy Anis, WJE Associates, USA.
  • Efforts for providing quality control regarding airtightness, Laverne Dalgleish, chair of ABAA
  • New and retrofitted army buildings. Alexander Zhivov, USACE, USA

Product Characterization – Innovative Sealing Technologies

  • Airtightness of window-wall interfaces in masonry brick walls and wood-frame construction. Nathan Van den Bossche, Belgium
  • Evaluation of an Interior Air Barrier System with Dynamic Water Vapour Control in North American Climates. Stanley D. Gatland II, CertainTeed, USA
  • Pre-compressed foams. Joerg Birkelbach, Tremco illbruck, USA
  • The Science of Rough Opening Preparation and Window Installation to Minimize Air Leakage, Sam Hagerman, Hammer and Hand, USA
  • Service Life Prediction for Sealants. Joannie Chin, NIST, USA
  • Innovative Sealant Technology Provides Design Flexibility for Air Tight Joints. Andrea Wagner, Dow Corning, USA
  • Achieving and Certifying Building Envelope Air Tightness with an Aerosol-Based Automated Sealing Process, Mark Modera, UC Davis, USA

Design and Quality Control – Energy Impacts

  • Building Enclosure Commissioning – BECx -The Plan – Why, What, How, Where, Who ? William R. Nash , P.E. USA
  • Performance of Duct Leakage Test Methods – When to Use Which and Why, Paul Francisco, University of Illinois, USA
  • Consideration of Envelope Airtightness in Calculating Commercial Building Energy Consumption, Lisa Chen Ng, NIST, USA
  • Interactions of airtightness with ventilation systems and implications on energy use. Willem de Gids, NL
    Energy Impacts of Envelope Tightening and Mechanical Ventilation for the U.S. Residential Sector, Jennifer Logue, LBNL, USA
  • Institutional Building Leakage Reduction and CONTAM Energy Savings of Air Sealing Improvements, David Bohac, Center for Energy and Environment, USA`
  • Achieving Tight Buildings through Building Envelope Commissioning, John Runkle, Architectural Testing, USA
  • The effect of air tightness on the energy consumption – Analyses of field measurements. Wouter Borsboom, TNO, Netherlands

Measurement Methods, Field Campaigns and Data Analysis

  • Case Studies of Whole Building Air Leakage Testing, Jason S. Der Ananian, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, USA
  • Measuring the Air Tightness of Mid and High Rise Non-Residential Buildings. Wagdy Anis, WJE, USA.
  • Large Building Air Leakage Measurement – What Has Been Done and What Is Possible, Denali Jones, Retrotec, USA
  • Uncertainty in multi-zone air leakage measurements using simulations and field data, Erin Hult, LBNL, USA
  • Air tightness of buildings in Poland, Michal Szymanski, Poznan University of Technology, Poland
  • Repeatability of Whole-Building Airtightness Measurements: Midrise Residential Case Study. Collin Olson, The Energy Conservatory, USA
  • Stack Effect and Mechanical Exhaust System Impacts on Building Pressures and Envelope Air Leakage, Sean M. O’Brien, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger, USA
  • Field Experience with Sealing Large-Building Duct Leakage with an Aerosol-Based Sealing Process, Mark Modera, UC Davis, USA
  • Analysis of the NIST Commercial and Institutional Building Envelope Leakage Database. Steven Emmerich, NIST, USA
  • Practical experience with training and performing airtightness tests in large buildings. Karl Grimnes, Termografi og Maaleteknikk as, Norway
  • Building envelope and duct system airtightness of US new dwellings, Wanyu R. Chang, LBNL, USA

Papers selected for short oral presentation

  • Commissioning of exterior building envelopes of large buildings for air leakage and thermal anomalies using infrared thermography and other diagnostic tools, Mario D. Gonçalves, Patenaude-Trempe Inc, Canada
  • Impact of Sheathing Installation Practices on Air Barriers, Brett T. Fagan, USA
  • Large public buildings air tightness in Poland, Radoslaw Gorzenski, Poznan University of Technology, Poland
  • The Science of Fluid-Applied Flashing Systems, Paul Grahovac, Prosoco, USA
  • An Airtight Shell for Effective Ducts, Tom Schneider, Building Envelope Innovations, USA
  • Thought Experiments for Evaluating Building Air Leakage Test Procedures. David Saum, Infiltec, USA
  • Optimizing Outside Pressure Taps To Reduce Wind Induced Pressure Errors. David Saum, Infiltec, USA
Posted in Conference, Hot News

2012 AIVC and TightVent conference, Copenhagen, Denmark

TightVent Europe AIVC

33rd AIVC conference – 2nd TightVent conference

Optimising Ventilative Cooling and Airtightness for

[Nearly] Zero-Energy Buildings, IAQ and Comfort

Copenhagen, Denmark, 10-11 October 2012

In cooperation with

Download the summary of the conference

Download the summary of the round table in pdf

More information on the event

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Posted in Conference

Feedback on the 2012 airtightness workshop

IMG_0287_LROn behalf of AIVC and TightVent Europe, INIVE organized the workshop entitled “Achieving relevant and durable airtightness levels: status, options and progress needed” in Brussels, March 28-29 2012. 70 participants exchanged their views on the basis of presentations given by 20 experts representing 10 countries on requirements, quality and durability issues with regard to building airtightness.

Concerning requirements, several speakers have underlined the opportunity with airtightness to move to the era of performance checks with measurements. Experience with mandatory testing schemes in regulations (e.g., in the UK) or low-energy programmes (e.g. Effinergie, Guaranteed Performance Homes) have shown the virtue of airtightness measurements to urge building professionals to revisit their methods and techniques.

However, especially if such measurement requirement is attached to a regulation, the tests have to be reliable and their results consistent with the inputs in the energy performance calculations. This is the reason why several bodies have engaged in qualification or certification schemes for air leakage testers. Examples from France, Germany, United Kingdom, Finland, Japan were discussed during the workshop, but initiatives have also been identified in Denmark or Norway for instance.

Speakers have also underlined the benefits of methods to secure desired airtightness levels, contain costs and avoid unpleasant surprises including building damage. The French and Japanese frameworks giving credit to builders who have implemented quality management approaches while requiring tests to be performed on a sample of the production only are worth considering because of cost and testers availability issues as well as their encouragement for builders to engage in quality schemes.

A method and device has been developed in Germany to test the fatigue of adhesives due to wind stress with artificially aged samples, which should be used as the basis for justifying the durability requirement in the German regulation. There is also work on-going in Belgium and Sweden to characterize airtightness durability. These initiatives could be important steps for securing airtightness levels over the buildings’ lifetime. However, the discussions also showed that airtightness durability characterization remains a topic where significant research is needed.

Nevertheless, from a practical point of view, experience shows that durability can be seriously affected by poor design and execution or inappropriate interventions of users and occupants. Although there is no scientific evidence of this, it seems reasonable to assume that quality approaches implying a well-designed and implemented airtightness strategy is more likely to remain effective in time than last-minute remedial actions. Therefore, fostering such approaches and informing occupants and users appear to be effective short-term actions to make significant progress in practice with regard to airtightness durability.

More information on the event.

Posted in Conference, Durability, Quality, Requirements

Critical steps for wide scale implementation of building and ductwork airtightness

This ebook has been produced by TightVent Europe.

It includes a number of publications from the Intelligent Energy Europe programme and its predecessor, namely from the ASIEPI project, SAVE-AIRWAYS, and SAVE-DUCT projects.It has been designed with the following objectives:

  • First, to provide the reader with key information on building and ductwork airtightness that appear as major challenges in the route towards nearly zero-energy buildings;
  • Second, to increase the visibility of the results of several projects European projects, namely the IEE-ASIEPI, SAVE-AIRWAYS, and SAVE-DUCT projects that have produced considerable amounts of information on envelope.

More Info
Download the full version
Download an excerpt

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Posted in General information

TightVent welcomes CDPEA as new associate member

TightVent is very pleased to welcome CDPEA as new associate member.

CDPEA has been created in 2007 as a resource centre for building professionals in the field of sustainability, indoor air quality and energy performance in the Aquitaine region. CDPEA reaches directly a growing network of 5000 professionals with its tailored services in training, research and dissemination. CDPEA actively contributes to TightVent activities and thereby brings expertise and field feedback from professionals on airtightness. We look forward to strengthen our collaboration with TightVent to further increase the impact of both our organizations towards nearly zero-energy targets. -
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Learn about TightVent founding partners

Posted in Partners