Reference: Energy-led retrofitting of solid wall dwellings: technical and user perspectives on airtightness. Structural Survey, 30 (3), pp. 267 - 279 (2012) Banfill P, Simpson S, Haines V, Mallaband B

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Abstract or summary

Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) is increasingly being promoted in the UK as a means of reducing the CO2 emissions from dwellings, and installers report growing activity in the retrofit market. However, the airtightness of a dwelling is a crucially important factor governing the achievement of CO2 reductions, and the purpose of this paper is to understand the technical implications of airtightness levels in an experimental dwelling, purpose built to typical 1930s standards, at the same time as gaining the users’ perspectives on airtightness and ventilation in their homes.

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