Air tightness tests and inspections

We inspect and test homes for uncontrolled flows of air and offer support/advice to obtain Local Authority Building Control approval

Why have an Air Tightness Test?

It is now mandatory that a percentage of all new homes will have to prove that they have passed an air tightness test prior to occupation. This is due to the fact that the majority of homes use fossil fuels to heat them and the construction of airtight buildings will reduce the need for higher fuel consumption thus reducing the carbon dioxide emissions. The rate your property will need to achieve will be determined in your Target Emission Rate (TER). Building control will be unable to provide you with a completion certificate unless an air test has taken place and the correct results been achieved.

Does every dwelling need to be tested?

For dwelling’s (L1A), air leakage testing is mandatory for a percentage of each building type. Air leakage should not exceed 10m³/hr/m² of the building envelope.

Number of instances of the dwelling type	Number of tests to be carried out on each dwelling type
4 or less	One test of each dwelling type
Greater than 4, but equal or less than 40	Two tests of each dwelling type
More than 40	At least 5% of the dwelling type, unless the first 5 units of the type that are Tested achieve the design air permeability, when the sampling frequency can be subsequently reduced to 2%