Experimental analysis of air tightness in Mediterranean buildings using the fan pressurization method

Building air tightness plays an important role both on the energy saving and the indoor thermal comfort. Several studies in recent years have been carried out in US and in northern Europe, usually under cold climatic conditions, whereas Mediterranean buildings are not deeply investigated in literature. In this paper the authors present the results of an experimental study carried out on residential buildings located in southern Italy using the fan pressurization method, also known as blower door test (BDT). In particular, the main metrological aspects in air tightness measurement of buildings and the influence of air leakage on energy consumption and indoor comfort in different architectural typologies typical of the Mediterranean area are focused. The experimental results presented can give some interesting suggestions to improve the measurement uncertainty in BDT and to better detect energy and environmental criticalities in the building audits. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.