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There is very little information available on air change rates in residential buildings that have some windows open to provide ventilation: the published data are usually for buildings that have the windows and doors closed. This paper reports the results of some studies that were conducted in Switzerland on small apartment buildings. The air change rates were measured using a tracer gas technique both with the windows closed and with some partially open. The air change rate increased by a factor of 4 when the windows on one facade were opened only a few centimeters. This shows how difficult it is to achieve adequate ventilation without increasing excessive heat loss when windows are used as the ventilators.

The rates of moisture production and removal determine the humidity level in houses and the likelihood of condensation problems. Causes and cures of these problems are reviewed.

Une pompe à chaleur est un système qui utilise des appareils de réfrigération pour transmettre la chaleur d'un point en un autre point où elle peut être utilisée. Le même système peut servir à retirer la chaleur d'un point en un autre pour fins de refroidissement. Les sources et les renvois de chaleur peuvent être le sol autour de l'édifice, l'eau d'un lac, d'une rivière ou d'un puits, ou encore l'air ambiant. Même si elle est encore au stade expérimental, on porte un intérêt considérable à l'énergie solaire comme source thermique pour les pompes à chaleur. De toutes les sources, cependant, c'est l'air ambiant qui a été le plus utilisé à cause de son universalité et de son abondance. Le but du présent Digest est de souligner les caractéristiques générales et les aspects économiques des pompes à chaleur air-air utilisées pour le chauffage des édifices résidentiels.

Air infiltration is the uncontrolled leakage of air into a house, that results from pressure differentials across its envelope induced by wind and inside-to-outside temperature difference. It is recognized as one of the major energy losses in residences but is difficult to estimate. Infiltration rates can be measured using the tracer gas method which requires expensive equipment and long preparation time, but it is difficult to use on a large scale for routine tests. A more simple method is to use the fan pressurization method to conduct air leakage tests and then translate the result into infiltration rates using an infiltration-air tightness correlation. This paper introduces such a correlation for houses in a suburban area. A preliminary study of the proposed correlation has been reported previously. The final result is now presented.

The paper describes the mathematical methods employed in the ENCORE-CANADA computer program which predicts the hourly as well as the annual heating requirements of small residential- type buildings. ENCORE-CANADA is primarily intended for researchers, designers and consulting engineers interested in energy conservation measures. The model includes the effects of thermal storage, internal heat gains, basement and air infiltration losses, transmission heat losses and solar heat gains. The heating system is a thermostatically controlled oil-fired furnace with warm air distribution. Hourly solar radiation and weather data for various Canadian cities are used to simulate outdoor conditions., Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on the Use of Computers for Environmental Engineering Related to Buildings: 10 May 1978, Banff, Alberta, Canada

This paper describes the construction, accuracy check and use of a portable calorimeter developed primarily for a study on energy conservation in four experimental houses, undertaken by the Division of Building Research, National Research Council of Canada., Proceedings of the ASHRAE-DOE-ORNL Conference on Thermal Performance of the Exterior Envelopes of Buildings: 03 December 1979, Kissimmee, FL, USA

HOTCAN is a user-friendly computer program package with the capability of calculating the annual space heat requirement for residences and small buildings which do not require simultaneous heating and cooling. The program uses a month- by-month calculation technique. This manual gives specific instructions for use with a 48K Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I computer with TRSDOS 2.3; however, many instructions are similar to those used on other computers. Conversion programs from Radio Shack can be used to run the program on other TRS-80 computers.

Les taux de production et d'élimination de la vapeur d'eau déterminent le niveau d'humidité dans les maisons et par conséquent la probabilité des problèmes de condensation. Ce Digeste examine les causes de ces problèmes et les moyens d'y remédier.

HOTCAN is a user-friendly computer program package with the capability of calculating the annual space heat requirement for residences and small buildings which do not require simultaneous heating and cooling. The program uses a month- by-month calculation technique. This manual gives specific instructions for use with Commodore microcomputers, specifically the 32K PET, Super PET in 8032 mode, CBM, and Commodore 64. The program is available for both 35 track and 77 track Commodore drives.

Experiments were performed to determine the net energy contribution of a domestic water system to the internal heat gain of a house. Four water usage profiles and two cold water supply temperatures were considered. For a typical water consumption schedule, it was found that, apart from the hot water tank standby losses, heat gains to the house from water usage are very small.

This paper presents results of a two-year energy analysis of 28 low-energy houses. The space heating, domestic hot water heating, and interior electrical consumptions were measured individually on a monthly basis. Ventilation rates were monitored and occupant-related inputs were documented using a questionnaire. These data are compared with values calculated using HOTCAN 2.0, a microcomputer-based residential energy-analysis program., ACEEE 1986 Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings: 17 August 1986, Berkeley, California, USA

This paper presents a simple method for estimating the total air change rate of a house with or without mechanical ventilation. The proposed method can be used to assess the effect of a mechanical ventilation system on total air change rates. It can also be included in existing simple computer programs for estimating heating requirements for houses. A calculation procedure is also presented for sizing mechanical ventilation systems for houses. This procedure can be used to estimate the forced ventilation rate required to achieve the desired total air change rate.

The operation of an air exhaust system or fuel-burning appliance removes air from the house, creating a negative pressure in the building. If too much air is removed and the negative pressure becomes large enough, the natural flow of gases up the furnace chimney can be reversed. The flow of combustion products into the home can create a danger of carbon monoxide poisoning. The digest describes a study conducted to determine the relationship between carbon monoxide poisoning and the air tightness of a house.

Le fonctionnement d'un ventilateur d'extraction ou d'un appareil de combustion provoque un appauvrissement en air à l'intérieur de la maison et crée une dépression dans le bâtiment. Si on extrait trop d'air, la dépression peut devenir assez importante, pour inverser l'ascension naturelle des gaz dans la cheminée de la chaudière. Le refoulement des produits de combustion dans la maison peut créer un risque d'oxycarbonisme. Ce Digeste présente une étude de la relation existant entre l'étanchéité à l'air d' une maison et l'oxycarbonisme.

Train-induced vibrations of houses and mobile homes in Kamloops, British Columbia, were investigated to determine whether the vibrations could have resulted in damage to residences near the tracks. A detailed investigation showed that building resonance could result in architectural damage up to 250 m from the tracks and that vibration-induced settlement could occur for certain mobile home foundations located on loose wet fill. The criterion for possible architectural damage to stucco and brittle interior finishes was taken as 5 mm/s peak velocity, measured at the ceiling level of the one-storey houses. As a result of this study, general recommendations are presented regarding the methods employed in investigating similar train vibration problems., Proceedings, Symposium/Workshop on Serviceability of Buildings (Movements, Deformations, Vibrations): 16 May 1988, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The operation of heat pumps for residential space heating is described. The air-to-air heat pump is able to compete economically with electrical resistance heating systems. From a "prime" energy use point of view, it can raise the over-all efficiency of electrical heating from 28 to 42 per cent. If the seasonal performance factor could be improved, in this case by 35 per cent, the air-to-air heat pump would be more resource energy efficient than conventional oil and gas furnaces. Other heat pump systems, listed below, require further investigation to assess their potential for residential application: (i) ground source heat pump, (ii) solar-assisted heat pump, (iii) "ice-maker" heat pump. Important factors that need to be considered in the use of heat pumps are: (i) initial cost to the consumer, (ii) system reliability, (iii) load factor and time of peak demand on the electrical utility., L'auteur décrit l'utilisation des pompes à chaleur pour le chauffage des locaux résidentiels. La pompe à chaleur air-air est capable de concurrencer économiquement les systèmes de chauffage à résistance électrique. Du point de vue de l'utilisation "efficace" de l'énergie, les pompes à chaleur peuvent faire passer le rendement général du chauffage électrique de 28 à 42%. Si le facteur de l'efficacité saisonnière pouvait être amélioré, dans le cas présent de 35%, les pompes à chaleur air-air seraient plus efficaces en termes énergétiques que les systèmes conventionnels à l' huile et au gaz. Les autres sytèmes de pompes à chaleur, é numérés ci-dessous, méritent une étude plus poussée quant à leurs applications résidentielles possibles: i) pompe à chaleur utilisant l'énergie géothermique, ii) pompe à chaleur utilisant l'énergie solaire comme appoint, iii) pompe à chaleur pour la réfrigération. Les facteurs importants qui doivent être considérés dans l'utilisation de ces pompes à chaleur sont: i) le coût au départ pour le consommateur, ii) la fiabilité du système, iii) les facteurs de charge et les périodes de crête du réseau électrique.

Le programme HOTCAN 3.0 est un modèle piloté par ordinateur servant à évaluer les déperditions de chaleur et les besoins annuels en chauffage à prévoir dans le cas de maisons et de petits bâtiments qui n'ont pas à être aussi bien refroidis que chauffés. Le présent guide explique certains algorithmes utilisés dans le programme et donne un bref apercu de la facon de se servir de ce dernier comme outil d' aide à la conception. La période de calcul retenue est le mois, et les déperditions de chaleur par les parois hors sol sont celles d'un régime permanent. Le programme comprend é galement des modèles améliorés qui sont basés sur des mé thodes mises au point par le Conseil national de recherches du Canada et qui visent les déperditions de chaleur par les murs et les planchers de sous-sols, les apports solaires et les apports internes. A l'intérieur de ce programme, l' enveloppe des bâtiments est définie par, entre autres, la surface et la valeur R de ses éléments principaux et de ses é léments secondaires, son degré d'étanchéité, le taux de renouvellement d'air et la forme des fenêtres. Avec de telles données, il est possible taux de déterminer, au moyen du programme HOTCAN, les déperditions de chaleur prévues, la charge calorifique mensuelle calculée sur une base journaliè re, les apports solaires et les apports internes, ainsi que la puissance calorifique nécessaire pour chauffer le volume ambiant considéré.

A computer program for the prediction of the air infiltration load in small residential buildings is described. The model represents an oil-fired furnace, a smoke pipe with barometric damper, a chimney and a non- partitioned building with leakage openings in the building envelope. This envelope includes ceiling, walls, windows and doors, the leakage opening of each being represented by several holes. The model can be used to predict airflow through wall, window and door leakage openings as well as the chimney, with furnace on or off. The effects of windspeed, wind direction and indoor/outdoor temperature differences are incorporated in the model. The computer program predicts the position of the neutral pressure level of each wall, together with the over-all air exchange rate and infiltration load. The program is intended for study of the dynamics of air infiltration and for computer experimentation with new design ideas to reduce the energy consumption of small residential type buildings., Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on the Use of Computers for Environmental Engineering Related to Buildings: 10 May 1978, Banff, Alberta, Canada

The heat balance in a house depends on heat inputs and heat losses. By combining measured fuel consumptions for the furnace and hot water system with estimated heat gains from occupants, solar radiation, and electrical appliances, total useful space heat inputs were estimated as a function of outdoor temperature. Heat losses were also calculated as a function of outdoor temperature. From the resulting graphical relationships, estimates were made of heating system efficiencies. Changes in the fuel consumption- outdoor temperature relationship are given for several houses to which insulation was added. In two cases, addition of RSI 2 insulation to the attic and RSI 1.5 to basement walls (previously uninsulated) reduced fuel consumption by about 30%.

This paper presents the results of preliminary measurements of the difference between the incident sound levels at the front and rear facades of suburban detached and semi- detached houses adjacent to major roadways. The measurements also yielded data on sound transmission through open windows and comparisons between the sound levels measured in open windows, at the surface of the building facade, and 2 m from the facade., Reprinted from Canadian Acoustics, vol. 10(1), January 1982, p. 13-18.

The urgent need to conserve energy in buildings has increased the use of non-conventional insulating materials such as urea formaldehyde foam insulation (UFFI) in Canadian buildings. Although UFFI is not a particularly good insulating material because of its high initial water content and therefore its high volumetric shrinkage and known deterioration with age, it was installed in more than 80 000 Canadian homes before December 1980 when its use was banned under the Hazardous Products Act. The ban was based on an investigation by an Expert Advisory Committee set up by the Department of Health and Welfare Canada. Subsequent studies in the laboratory and in the field have indicated that gases and/or particulates given off by UFFI cause illness in some people. The nature of the problem and some of the studies carried out in Canada to improve understanding and develop methods of reducing exposure to the substances given off by UFFI are described., Reprinted from "CIB 83, the 9th CIB Congress, Stockholm, Sweden, Building Materials and Components, vol. 4, p. 517-527"

The evaluation of a house design requires a method for estimating the effect of various design features on the heating energy requirements. Such a method must account for the following: heat loss, primarily by conduction, through the exterior envelope; heat loss due to exchange of indoor air and outdoor air; heat loss to the earth through basement walls and floor; heat gain from occupants and appliances; solar heat gain through windows; and the performance characteristics of the heating system. Although a number of computer programs have been developed to simulate the thermal behaviour of a house, simpler methods are more appropriate for use as design tools, or for evaluating house designs for building code or labelling applications. Simple methods sacrifice some accuracy, particularly when the effects of heat storage and variations in room temperature become significant, but they are adequate for many practical applications. Recent research at the National Research Council of Canada has resulted in improved methods for calculating below-grade losses and the utilization of solar gains through windows that can be incorporated into such calculation procedures., To Build and Take Care of What We Have Built with Limited Resources : Proceedings of the 9th CIB Congress, v. 3a, Energy Technology and Construction: 1983, Stockholm, Sweden

Il est possible de concevoir, de construire et de mettre en service des logements en créant un juste équilibre entre l'humidité, la ventilation et la consommation d'énergie. Les déordres causés par la condensation, les sources d'humidité et les caractéristiques techniques de l'enveloppe du bâtiment sont examinés et des méthodes de ventilation sont recommandées. ** Table des matières: Pénétration de la pluie et désordres causés par l'humidité dans les habitations / Jacques Rousseau -- Sources d'humidité dans les maisons / Richard Quirouette -- Limitation de la condensation de surface et dissimulée / Madeleine Rousseau -- Ventilation des maisons / Gustav Handegord -- Questions et réponses du Regard 83 -- Diagramme psychrométrique -- Lectures complémentaires **, Regard '83 sur la science du bâtiment : Humidité, condensation et ventilation dans les maisons, octobre, novembre et décembre 1983, Différentes villes canadiennes

Based on a variety of techniques, criteria for the subjective effect of noise produced by aircraft are derived for both indoor and outdoor situations. These criteria are expressed in the two most popular measures used on the North American continent: the Composite Noise Rating and the Noise Exposure Forecast. The criteria are then compared with past suggested values for the ambient noise level.

A set of rules is devised whereby the component types of the envelope of a house or an apartment may be chosen from a knowledge of their acoustical properties, their relative areas, the degree of intrusive sound that may be tolerated, and the noise exposure forecast contours.