Review of possible implications of an airtightness standard for new dwellings in the UK

Abstract

The central purpose of this paper is to develop and test a case for compulsory pressurisation testing for new dwellings. The authors have argued elsewhere in favour of such a policy. The paper reviews the available information on airtightness in the UK housing stock, the impact of airtightness on ventilation and fabric heat losses, the information that is available on the costs of making houses airtight and the logistics of pressurisation testing. The authors use this information to explore the costs and benefits that might accrue at the national level from the introduction of such a policy. While a number of areas of uncertainty are apparent, the analysis shows a modest but apparently robust economic case for the introduction of pressurisation testing of new housing.