Air Tightness Testing
Calculate air leakage to comply with Approved Document L for new builds and ensure minimal heat loss and energy wastage.
Any gaps or cracks in a building allow air and heat to escape. This reduces energy performance, driving up heating costs and lowering environmental efficiency. It can also create the risk of dampness and rising damp.
By law, all new residential and commercial spaces require air tightness testing – also known as air leakage, air infiltration or air permeability testing. To ensure compliance with Building Regulations, contractors throughout the UK and internationally rely on Acoustic Consultants Ltd for accurate, competitively priced air tightness testing.
At the completion stage of your new build scheme, we offer full building performance testing for Building Regulations Part E (sound insulation testing) and Part L (air tightness testing). We can provide a final acceptance building air tightness test with:
- Approved Document L1 of the Build Regulations for residential schemes
- Approved Document L2 of the Building Regulations for commercial schemes
Why Choose Acoustic Consultants for Air Tightness Testing?
The experts at Acoustic Consultants have more than 35 years of experience in helping new builds achieve regulatory compliance throughout England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and internationally.
Your building air tightness test will be carried out by one of our trusted partner companies. They will be either Air Tightness Testing & Measurement Association (ATTMA) certified or accredited by the Independent Airtightness Testing Scheme (iATS). Both are acceptable to building control bodies.
Contact us now for a free no-obligation consultation for trusted advice and guidance on achieving Part L compliance for air permeability.
What Projects Need Air Tightness Testing?
Under Building Regulations Approved Document L, you need to schedule air tightness testing at the completion stage of:
- New build residential dwellings
- New build commercial spaces
However, you don’t need this kind of building air tightness test for:
- Existing buildings
- Conversions
- Extensions
What is an Acceptable Air Permeability Value?
The Building Regulations contain a maximum permitted threshold for air tightness testing (air pressure tests, air leakage tests, etc.). The result of the test contributes to Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) calculations for energy performance.
However, it can be more cost-effective to carry out individual air pressure tests. The results of these tests can reduce the overall calculated energy consumption of a building.
These tests form part of the SAP calculation used to determine the building’s Dwelling Emission Rate (DER). This determines the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating necessary to achieve Part L compliance.
Under current Building Regulations Part L 2013, the SAP calculation is rated against a notional air tightness of 5m3/(m2·hr)@50Pa, with a maximum permissible air tightness test result of 10m3/(m2·hr)@50Pa.
Therefore, any dwelling with an air tightness greater than 5 will be penalised in the SAP.
To comply with Part L, the measured air permeability should be at least 10m3/(h·m2). DER and Dwelling Fabric Energy Efficiency (DFEE) rate measurements calculated using the measured air permeability must not be worse than the Target Emission Rate (TER) or Target Fabric Energy Efficiency (TFEE).
It’s important to find out the design air permeability used in the SAP or Simplified Building Energy Model (SBEM) calculation. If a lower-than-maximum air permeability has been used, then this must be achieved in the air tightness test. Otherwise, other areas of the building will require improvement to achieve Part L compliance.