Why Air Leakage Testing is Important for Businesses
Industry specialists CPS Leakage have carried out air leakage testing in more than 20,000 buildings over 10 years. This includes shops, supermarkets, office developments and residential dwellings in London, Kent, East Sussex and throughout East Anglia.
Here we look at some of the key reasons why such tests are so important for buildings.
Saving Energy
Air tightness testing measures how much air is leaking out of, or into, a building. Leakage means air is coming out a building in an uncontrolled way, probably through gaps and cracks in the fabric, and not in a pre-designed way through an air ventilation system or a similar installation.
It means the building has a lower energy efficiency rating, and higher CO2 emissions. Tests can identify issues, which, when remedied, give your building a higher rating and more resale value.
Saving Money
Air leakage testing saves fuel and energy and therefore money. In the short term, a building should benefit from lower energy bills. In the long term, excessive uncontrolled air leakage can cause condensation in the building’s fabric, causing damage which could be expensive to rectify later.
Keeping Staff Healthy
If there are uncontrolled air flows from outside, then this could affect a building’s occupants. Potentially it could allow pollutants to enter the building or could make the temperature colder. This could increase staff sickness and affect productivity.
Ensuring Regulatory Compliance
CPS Leakage will make sure that your building meets all the relevant legislation. For example, Building Regulation L2A stipulates that all new commercial properties with a gross internal floor area of more than 500m2 will have to undergo air tightness testing unless the SBEM passes using 15m3/h/m2 as an air permeability rate. It also means all existing commercial buildings with new extensions with a floor space of more than 100m2, and which increase the gross internal floor area (GIFA)of the original by more than 25%, will also have to be air tested.
If you are unsure whether your building needs to be air tested or not, contact us and we will be happy to advise you.
CPS Leakage offers air leakage testing in non-residential and residential properties in London, East Sussex and Kent and throughout East Anglia, including Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire.
We offer a friendly and expert service aimed at air test compliance once your project has been completed.
At CPS Leakage, we can work with you at the design stage and during the build to minimise the risk of a final air test failure. Our other complementary services include thermal imaging surveys, acoustic testing and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) testing. Follow the link above to find out more about our full range of air leakage testing procedures.