What is Air Leakage?
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| 1. | Under floor ventilator grills | 9. | Service penetrations through ceilings | ||
| 2. | Gaps in and around suspended timber floors | 10. | Vents penetrating the ceiling / roof | ||
| 3. | Leaky windows and doors | 11. | Bathroom wall vent or extraction fan | ||
| 4. | Pathways through floor / ceiling voids into cavity walls and then to outside | 12. | Gaps around bathroom waste pipes | ||
| 5. | Gaps around windows | 13. | Kitchen wall vent or extraction fan | ||
| 6. | Gaps at ceiling-to-wall joint at the eaves | 14. | Gaps around kitchen waste pipes | ||
| 7. | Open chimneys | 15. | Gaps around floor-to-wall joints (particularly with timber frames) | ||
| 8. | Gaps around loft hatches | 16. | Gaps in and around electrical fittings in hollow walls | ||
Air leakage is the single most important factor leading to an unbalanced home indoor environment - one that’s either too expensive to run and keep you comfortable, or one that’s unhealthy as well as uncomfortable.
A home that is too leaky has:
- Higher energy bills
- Lower comfort levels
- More dust, pollen, insects, vermin and pollutants
Will simply sealing your home will solve the problem? Unfortunately, not at all. Too little air leakage creates imbalance at the other end of the scale.
A home that is too well sealed has:
- Stale, stuffy air, with unwanted odours that hang around
- Mould problems
- Health risks, with inhabitants susceptible to infections
- Potentially lethal problems with combustion appliances
How to get the best of both worlds in your home
It is surprisingly easy and economical to have the best of both worlds in your home - low energy consumption as well as maximum comfort.
Using trained and qualified Air Genius professionals, we provide testing and rectification services for established homes as well as homes that already have a star rating. If you’re planning to build, we also provide a testing service that ensures your builder hands over a home that delivers the energy efficiency it is supposed to.