European airtightness association committee

Internet Meeting

26/09/12

Action listNr. Description By When 1. Approval of actions planned / modifications TightVent

Steering committee

Oct. 9

2. Send list of contacts of airtightness associations Rémi Oct.10 3. Review and update contact list All Oct. 20 4. Template sheet for summary information regarding competent tester

scheme Rémi Nov. 15

5. Fill in template information for competent tester scheme, including reference list of applicable document

All Dec. 15

6. Template sheet for summary information regarding testers training in competent tester schemes

Rémi Nov. 15

7. Give reference of guidance documents for airtightness testing (going beyond standard), preferably with internet link

All Nov. 1

8. Draft document on hints to improve airtightness accuracy and precision Rémi Dec. 1 9. Send list of contacts within ISO 9972 revision Oliver Nov. 1 10. WebEx meeting on calibration procedure: set date and send invitation.

Include BlowerDoor and Retrotec for discussion. Rémi, Rob Nov. 15

11. Send draft table of summary of requirements Rémi Oct. 15 12. Review and feedback on summary table of requirements All Nov. 1 13. List of applicable standards for airtightness (test, products, components):

send list already available Eva Oct. 15

14. Send reference list of available documents on training of designers and craftsmen, preferably with internet link

All Nov. 1

15. Next meetings: - Wednesday 9 January 2013, 09:30-11:30 (WebEx, Brussels time) - Thursday 6 June 2013, exact time to be give (physical meeting

before BUILDAIR conference)

Participants• Belgium: Xavier Loncour (Observer)• Czech Republic: Jiri Novak (Asociace Blower Door CZ” (A.BD.CZ))• Denmark: Walter Sebastian (Klimaskaerm)• France: Rémi Pelini (Syneole) - Apologies• Germany: Oliver Socher (FliB)• Italy: Guenther Gantioler (ATTA) - Apologies• Sweden: Eva Sikander (Informal network in Sweden)• UK: Rob Coxon, David Unwin, Tom Jones (ATTMA)• TightVent: Peter Wouters, Stéphane Degauquier (apologies), Rémi Carrié

• Note:– Interest from Finland but not available on meeting date. Clarification needed with regard

to the relevant persons to attend.– Contacts with Switzerland and Norway but no answer

Agenda• 1) Why this meeting?• 2) Activities of your associations - Your expectations with a EU

network– Roll call of meeting participants, including presentation of your

association, its activities and motivations (5 min each maximum, you are welcome to use any material (PPT, brochures, etc.)

• 3) Overview of possible actions• 4) Prioritization of actions and expected outcomes• 5) Next meetings

– Internet meetings– Physical meetings

Why this meeting?• Clear trend towards more airtightness measurements

– e.g., in the UK since the gradual enforcement of the regulation regarding airtightness;

– in France, there are over 400 qualified testers whereas airtightness measurement used to be confidential in France up to 2007

– …• Common concerns:

– How to set up a competent tester scheme?– How to develop guidelines beyond EN 13829?– How to define calibration procedures for airtightness testing?– …

Why this meeting?• Currently no airtightness association at EU level• Several associations have expressed interest in

TightVent activities and use TightVent as a support for a EU forum

What is TightVent Europe?• The European Buildings and Ductwork

Airtightness Platform• Launched in January 2011• Objective:

– Facilitating exchanges and progress on building and ductwork airtightness issues, including the production and dissemination of policy oriented reference documents and the organization of conferences, workshops, webinars, etc.

TightVent partnersDiamond partners

Platinum partners

Platform facilitator

Associate partners

Management structure

General objectives of this meeting• Know each others activities and needs• See if there is converging interest for conducting

specific actions

Airtightness associations• Partnership conditions until April 2013

– Memorandum of understanding to be signed between associations and TightVent

– No charge until April 2013• After April 2013, to be discussed with the

interested parties• Not limited to EU associations

Activities of your associations• Belgium

– No network in Belgium yet, however, strong interest in the initiative because there is no requirement on the qualification of the testers

– Expectations:• Share experience on competent tester schemes in view of developing one in the Belgium framework

• Czech Republic (see specific presentation)– 35 members (active airtightness testers)– Expectations:

• gathering the information about the approaches adopted in different countries to deal with selected issues („summary tables“)

• gathering detailed information concerning main issues (conference / workshop papers, leakage data...)• facilitate a homogenous testing practice - common approaches or guidelines (e.g. structure of test protocol, of a lekage

database training...,)

– We can share:• round-robin tests• development and analysis of a leakage database• implementation of EN 13829• development of a common test protocol

Activities of your associations• Denmark (see specific presentation)

– 1 certified companies, 10 in the pipeline (representing in total 15-20 testers)

– Expectations:

• Germany– Flib has 300 members (mostly testers)– Expectations:

• Database developments, XML output files, calibration, designers and craftsmen, etc.

Activities of your association• Sweden (see specific presentation)

– No certification for airtightness today but significant activity on guidance to developers, training and research (e.g., durability)

– Expectations• Competent tester schemes• Input to testers training• Database development• Development of requirements• Strategies when it comes to big buildings or testing a part of a building

• UK– Expectations

• Resolve challenges with regard to test reliability

Possible actions• Starting with simple actions

Contact list

Association Country First Name Last Name Name Organization e-mailFlib Germany Oliver Solcher Oliver Solcher Flib solcher@flib.deATTA Italy Guenther Gantioler Guenther Gantioler TBZ guenther.gantioler@tbz.bzATTMA UK Rob Coxon Rob Coxon Stroma R.Coxon@stroma.comKlimaskaerm Denmark Walter Sebastian Walter Sebastian BMT Building Enviroment Consultants Ltd. ws@byggeteknik.comNo name Belgium Xavier Loncour Xavier Loncour BBRI xavier.loncour@bbri.beNo name Sweden Eva Sikander Eva Sikander SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden Eva.Sikander@sp.seAsociace Blower Door CZ (A.BD.CZ) Czech Republic Jiri Novak Jiri Novak Czech Technical University jiri.novak.4@fsv.cvut.czKlimaskjerm Norway Hans Ananiassen Hans Ananiassen Klimaskjerm post@klimaskjerm.noSyneole France Rémi Pellini Rémi Pellini Sirteme remi.p@sirteme.com TheCH Switzerland Christoph Tanner Christoph Tanner Baucheck-Tanner bct@baucheck-tanner.ch

Contact list for the airtightness association committee

Review of competent tester schemes

• Reference list of applicable documents

• Summary of key points in participating countries

Country Competent scheme operator Approximate number of competent

testers as of mid 2012

Comments

DE FliB www.flib.eu/certifications.html

170 « Certified checker of air-tightness of buildings in the sense of energy saving regulation »

DK DS certification XX The Building Envelope Society (Klimaskaerm, www.klimaskaerm.dk) is a platform and society for airtightness and IR measurements in buildings. In collaboration with DS certification, it has established certification schemes for airtightness testers and IR operators.

FI VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland www.vtt.fi

Less than 100 RATEKO (www.rateko.fi) organizes courses and examinations.

FR Qualibat Qualification 8711 www.qualibat.fr

350 Qualification initially required for BBC-Effinergie label measurement, now extended to all in RT 2012 EP regulation. Several « competent » training bodies organize courses and examinations.

JP Institute for Building Environment and Energy Conservation

About 3800 Since 1998, engineers who measure the airtightness of houses must be registered. They must attend a training course including theory and practice and pass and examination.

UK BINDT www.bindt.org

Several hundreds « An approved inspector is authorised to accept, as evidence that the requirements…have been satisfied, a certificate to that effect by a person who is registered by The British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing in respect of pressure testing for the air tightness of buildings. » (Building Regulation 20B). The testers must attend an approved training course or be testing staff employed by a UKAS air tightness testing laboratory.

USA RESNET http://www.resnet.us/professional/energy-rater

Several hundreds For the Energy Star and the Guaranteed Performance programmes, certified experts (HERS raters) check the building characteristics with specific RESNET requirements for data analysis and collection. The rater must pass competency tests.

Review of competent tester schemes

• Review of testers training requirements for those schemes

Training programme Training validation Fundamentals of ventilation and

infiltration Regulatory context for airtightness Fundamentals of airtightness

measurement Report contents Practice measurement

Theoretical examination Measurement on site supervised by

experienced technician Evaluation of report(s) submitted to

the training body

Guidance documents for testers – Revision of EN 13829 / ISO 9972

Guidance documents for testers – Revision of EN 13829 / ISO 9972

• Reference list of applicable guidance documents• Hints to improve measurement accuracy and

precision• Proposals for improvements to standards?

Calibration procedures• Active debates about adequate procedures• Specific WebEx meeting?

Database development and management

• TightVent is now working on standardized XML ouput files for pressurization tests (active role of CDPEA)

• Paper by Rengie Chan et al. to be published on AIVC and TightVent websites

Summary of requirementsCountry or Region Program, Standard or Regulation Indicator

Envelope Area Volume

Floorarea

ReferencePressure

Minimum requirementin some cases

Maximum(s) value for the building airtightness**** Comments

France (FR)*** Regulation RT2012, Effinergie label  Q4Pa_surf Yes No No 4 YesFrom 0,4m3/m²/h (Effinergie low energy house) to 1 (residential buildings)

Minimum requirement for all new residential buildings, the value must be justify either by measurement undertaken by authorised tester or by approved quality approach

Belgium, Flanders (BE)* Flemish EPB regulation q50 Yes No No 50 No (default value) --

Czech republic (CZ)* CSN 73 0540-2 (Standard) n50 No Yes No 50 YesFrom 0,6 vol/h for passivhaus to 4,5 vol/h for houses without mechanical ventilation system

Germany (DE)**

En EV 2009 (Regulation), DIN 4108-2011, DIN V 18599 (Standards), Passivhaus (Program) n50 and q50 Yes Yes No 50 Yes

From 0,6 vol/h for Passivhaus to 3 vol/h for houses without mechanical ventilation system

Except for passive houses (Passivhaus), measurement is not mandatory. In EnEv, the requirement is different in building with and without mechanical ventilation. n50 is used as indicator for all buildings, an additional requirement for the q50 is set in DIN 4108 for buildings whose volume is greater than 1500m3

Denmark (DK)** Danish building regulation (DR10) w50 No No Yes 50 Yes From 1 l/s/m² for low energy buildings to 1,5 l/s/m² Measuring is compulsory and the results is the average of pressurisation and depressurisation

Spain (ES)*** CTE-HE1/CTE-HE2 (Regulation) -- No No No 100 Only for components --There is requirements only for windows, the envelope airtightness is estimated from the number of opening in the envelope

Finland (FL)**Finnish building code, requirements and instructions 2012 q50 Yes No No 50 Yes 4 m3/h/m² From 2012 this value is both a maximum and a default value for calculation, no measurement required

Greece (GR)* -- -- -- -- -- -- No -- No regulation

Italy (IT)* -- -- -- -- -- -- No -- No regulation today (2008) requirements on windows are expected

Netherlands (NL)** Dutch building code, building act 2012 qv10 No No No 10 Yes 0,2 m3/sRequirements: the airflow should be under 0,2m3/s but measurement is not compulsory. This corresponds roughly to n50=8/h for convential dwelling

Norway (No)*Norwegian Technical Building Regulations n50 No Yes No 50 Yes 3 vol/h Measurement is not required

Poland (PL)*Technical Requirements as of 12 04 2002 -- -- -- -- __ No -- No requirements but airtightness is taken into account in the EP-calculation

Portugal (PT)* -- -- -- -- -- -- No -- No regulation

Switzerland Minergie***n50st <=>

q50 Yes No No 50 Yesn50st<0,6 (Passive houses) and n50st<1 low energy houses Measurement is required only for passive houses

United Kingdom (UK)**UK building regulation, approved document part L q50 Yes No No 50 Yes

Mostly 10 m3/h/m² (value from 3 to 5 m3/h.m² are foreseen for the next regulation) Measurement undertaken by an authorised tester is required

Airtightness requirements in Europe

List of applicable standards for airtightness

• See for instance http://www.airbarrier.org/whole_building/index_e.php

• But to be extended to products and building components?

Training of designers and craftsmen

• To be presented at the Copenhagen conference• To collect document references available today

Ductwork airtightness• Any activity in this field?

– Belgium: - – Czech Republic: No– Denmark: Under preparation– France: Yes– Germany: Under preparation, in focus– Italy: ?– Sweden: will get back– UK: Not a focus of ATTMA, done by HVAC contractors associations

• Comment from XL: Is probably not taken into account in EPB in most countries

Events• Airtightness workshop in Washington DC

– 18-19 April 2013• BUILDAIR symposium

– 7-8 June 2013• AIVC-TightVent 2013 conference in Athens

– Tentative dates: 26-27 September 2013

Potential interesting interactions• ISO 163 / SC 1 / WG 10• BUILD UP Skills• Submitted IEE proposal on quality and

compliance

Prioritization of actions and expected outcomes

Next meetings• Internet meeting

– Wednesday 9 January, 09:30-11:30 (Brussels time)• Physical meeting

– At BUILDAIR symposium?• Tentative date: Thursday June 6 2013 in Hannover

– Starting at 10:00? Or 09:00?