Air Infiltration Testing

What is a blower door? It's the device shown here that installs in an outside doorway and allows us to create a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the building. During an Energy Audit, we use the blower door to run a series of computerized tests which measure the air infiltration rate of the building. This allows us to determine how much leakage there is and where the leaks are. ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers) has established standards for air exchange rates in buildings to insure proper indoor air quality and energy efficiency. The slight negative pressure created by the blower door causes outside air to be pulled in through leaks in the house which we can then find using the infrared camera as shown in the photos below.

	This infrared photo was taken during a blower door test. The arrows point to cold air which is being pulled in through leaks around this window trim.	This infrared photo shows cold air leaking in from an electrical outlet on an exterior wall and was taken during a blower door test.

An Air Infiltration Test determines the overall air exchange rate of the building and pinpoints where heat is being lost due to air leakage. This is one of two sources of heat loss in a building, the other being radiant heat loss which we find with an Insulation Survey. We also perform Air Infiltration Testing for builders who are interested in Energy Star ratings, LEED Certification or other builder incentive programs such as Green Points. Call us to discuss an Air Infiltration Test for your home or office.

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