Air Leakage Testing
Do you understand the Building Regulation Document L1A 2006 - Conservation of fuel and power in new dwellings?
We are here to provide the information you need and to help your buildings achieve a pass for Air Permeability Testing in accordance with the ATTMA test method for as little as £270.00 + VAT (multiple testing)
What can we do?
JSD Air & Acoustic Testing (Buildings) Ltd provide a compliance testing service for dwellings using specially designed equipment. The blower door (see photograph below) test measures the amount of air that flows into or out of a house while maintaining a set pressure difference between the inside and outside. A calibrated fan and metering equipment are used to measure airflow at a variety of pressure differences up to 50 Pascals. This process achieves highly accurate, repeatable test results to meet the requirements of CIBSE TM 23, ATTMA TM1 and satisfy the current requirements of Building Regulations 2000 ‘Conservation of Fuel & Power’ Part L1A, 2006 Edition.
When can we do it?
Testing can only be conducted when the building facades, external envelope and internal finishes are complete. As soon as the building gets to this stage our Technician will prepare and test the building at a time that fits into your schedule – normally between 8.00am and 5.30pm Monday to Friday, although alternative times can be arranged where required.
What if the building fails the test?
In the event your building fails to achieve a pass then we can provide smoke detection (see photo right) to quickly find any leaks, for an additional fee. If the remedial work is minimal and can be completed within 2 hours after the failed test, its possible for our technician to re-test immediately at a reduced fee. Your pass certificate and full report will normally then be issued to you within 5 days.
What will it mean to your business?
If you are not yet building to the new regulation, then having your current buildings tested now to check whether they meet the standard will be a good indication as to whether future builds will meet the building regulations – if any problems are detected, then this will allow you time to make any amendments to ensure future builds pass first time, saving time and money.
Having your buildings tested now also means that they will be issued with a rating certificate which is a great selling point – reassuring any new customer that their new home will be extremely energy efficient!
How many dwellings need to be tested?
Robust Details:
If you have registered your development with Robust Details Ltd, then for each development, an air pressure test should be carried out on each dwelling type selected by Building Control. (A block of flats is treated as a separate development regardless of the number of blocks on a development site)
The dwellings to be tested should be taken from the first completed batch of units of each dwelling type.
Non-Robust Details:
The following table states the number of dwellings that must be tested
Number of instances of the dwelling type | Number of tests to be carried out |
4 or less | One test on each dwelling type |
Greater than 4 but less than or equal to 40 | Two tests on each dwelling type |
More than 40 | At least 5% of each dwelling type unless the first 5 units tested achieve the design air permeability, when the sampling frequency can be subsequently reduced to 2% |
Table 1. Non-Robust Detail Sampling Frequency
For further advice, guidance and a free quotation, please call us on 01366 387354