by In the early days, it was possible for a house to be very leaky and not have insulation. This was fine because it saved energy and allowed buildings to “breathe” and allow moisture to evaporate naturally. We can’t build in this manner anymore due to increasing energy costs and awareness of environmental effects. Therefore, the home construction industry decided to invest in technology that would solve the problems of building tightly. Visit our website and learn more about PorchLight Home Energy Assessors.
This is how the Home Performance movement came to be. A house is a system. This is a collection or systems that interact and impact each other. The center of the interaction between these systems is air pressure. Components such as the exhaust fans, ventilation hoods, and clothes dryers create negative pressures within buildings. These systems are necessary to eliminate moisture and other contaminants from the building. But we need to understand how these pressures affect other parts of a building. Poorly balanced homes can cause problems with appliances. Negative pressures can actually cause flame back-drafting and spillage of combustion gases, especially in the case of furnaces or water heaters.
BPI-trained analysts test these appliances under “worst possible” depressurization during Home Performance Assessments. Analysts use the blower door test to assess how much and how tight the building can be sealed. Once the sealing is completed, the blower door can be used to measure the amount of air leakage inside the building. This will ensure that natural ventilation is maintained.
It is important to note that high-tech insulation may not only have high R values (which can be great for energy conservation), but also that some varieties of insulation do not breathe. So home performance experts should consider how the building will react to moisture to avoid mold problems.