How much does a blower door test cost?

What does it cost? The blower door test costs about $450.00 for a typical house. This includes a report of the air leakage locations and recommendations for the sealing approach. The report lists the sealing measures in a cost efficient priority.

How hard is it to pass a blower door test?

It is estimated that 50% of newly constructed homes will fail the blower door or air-tightness test. Most blower door test failures occur because of a lack of understanding of what is necessary to create a continuous air barrier system.

What is a blower door certification?

The blower door test identifies how much air is leaking into and outside of a structure and where. This knowledge helps energy auditing professionals identify gaps in the air barrier and make recommendations for air-sealing.

How do you pass a blower door test?

Passing Your Blower Door Test

Have an airsealing plan BEFORE you start construction.
Make sure your sub-contractors are on board with the airsealing plan and are willing to seal all their penetrations.
Make sure all major penetrations are properly sealed.

Are blower door tests required?

The most common use of a blower door test is as a part of code compliance testing in new home construction. Because the air leakage is so important, this test is required by building code. So if your home is super leaky, it was probably thrown together and shows that a lot of care wasn’t put into the details.

How long is blower door test?

approximately 1-2 hours
Generally, a blower door test, when combined with a whole home energy audit, should take approximately 1-2 hours. The blower door test itself can run for about a half an hour.

What is a good blower door test?

A good rule of thumb is that your home should have a blower door number less than or equal to its square footage. Here are some things to know: a. If your home is 2000 square feet, a blower door number of 2000 cfm50 is decent (but not especially good).

Why is it important to perform a blower door and duct test?

A blower door test is a way to determine how airtight a home is and how much ventilation you will need to provide an acceptable indoor air quality. If a home is leaking air, those leaks can increase energy costs and create moisture condensation problems.

What is Building Performance Institute certification?

The Building Performance Institute (BPI) is the nation’s premier certification and standard-setting organization for home performance professionals. BPI and the home performance industry were established over 25 years ago with the mission of ensuring that all homes are healthy, comfortable, safe, and energy efficient.

What is a good blower door test score?

ACH50 less than 5.0 – Tight House. ACH50 between 5.0 and 10.0 – Moderate House. ACH50 above 10.0 – Leaky House.

Do all new builds need an air test?

Building regulations states that: New build residential properties and those over a certain size (500 m2) must undergo air tightness testing before being sold. Small developments of one or two properties that are exactly the same must have one of the buildings undergo air tightness testing.

Why do you need a blower door test?

A blower door test is a machine used to calculate airflow between the interior and exterior of a structure, measure the airtightness of buildings, and identify spots where air is leaking through a building envelope. This test ensures a certain level of energy performance and is often used when a project team is aiming for a performance-based building standard like Passive House, which requires a blower door test result of less than 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 pascals of pressure (ACH 50).

What is the purpose of a blower door test?

A blower door test is a way to check how air-tight a structure is. It is designed to check for air leaks in walls, attics, and mechanical penetrations.

How does a blower door test work?

How a blower door test works. A blower door test helps locate air leaks in a house and is typically performed before and after air sealing. A blower door uses a special fan that’s mounted in the frame of an exterior door to pull air out of the house, lowering the air pressure inside.

How much does a blower door test cost? What does it cost? The blower door test costs about $450.00 for a typical house. This includes a report of the air leakage locations and recommendations for the sealing approach. The report lists the sealing measures in a cost efficient priority. How hard is it to pass…