Whether you’re conducting it in the workplace or at your house, air tightness testing is an important assessment to check how airtight your premises are. The level of airtightness in your residential or commercial property directly influences energy efficiency and indoor air quality, as well as your day-to-day comfort.
Besides knowing how to improve air tightness, you also need to know the right time for this assessment. The ideal time to get an air leak test for your home or office space is when your building or structure is complete. But you can also sign up for this test when you’re making changes or renovating your existing structure.
In this blog, we’ll explore the 7 benefits of conducting air-tightness testing while renovating your commercial or residential property.
Why Business or House Air Tightness Testing is Crucial During Renovations
Older homes and commercial structures in the UK present new challenges for property owners in terms of air tightness testing and following building regulations. Older properties were made following construction standards that are vastly different and outdated from those followed today.
The Challenges in Older Properties
It’s normal for your property to experience wear and tear over the years, but this can directly affect your air-tightness levels. Traditional construction features like single-glazed windows and thin walls are the weak links, allowing heat to escape and leading to higher energy costs. Similarly, deteriorating mastic seals around skirting boards and pipes open areas large enough for air to leak out into wall cavities.
A seemingly small 2mm gap between the skirting and floorboards can cause air leaks throughout your property, meaning it loses warm air every second. Small cracks and faults in ceilings and walls can also lead to uncontrolled air leaks. You may end up dealing with severe damp and mould growth if these cracks are left unresolved in wet rooms like bathrooms and kitchens.
How Air Tightness Testing Helps
By conducting an air-tightness test during the renovation stage, your contractors will have an easier time locating and addressing these points of weakness on your property.
Importantly, the more practical and cost-effective solution is to fix these air leaks and make the suggested upgrades early in the renovation process. Your contractor will have enough time to take remedial action with sealing solutions using membranes, tapes, and insulation, before adding finishes to your structure. This is how you can seamlessly integrate air testing with other renovation activities.
Recommended Stages for Air Leak Test in Homes or Offices
It’s recommended to conduct an air-leak test during the post-insulation or the pre-final finishing stages of your renovation project. You can also conduct an interim test to detect and remedy issues early.
Whether you own a residential or commercial property in the UK, we strongly recommend conducting an air leakage test during your renovation works with Mark from Gio Property Solutions as your air tightness testing partner.
7 Key Benefits of Merging Air Tightness Testing During Renovation
Here are the 7 advantages of merging your air leak tests for your home or commercial space while renovating.
1. Short and Long-Term Cost Savings
By integrating air permeability tests during the renovation process, you have a far better chance of identifying and treating the air leaks or gaps before they get worse.
In the short term, it’s more cost-effective and practical to use sealing solutions to plug gaps and leaks after the renovation is complete.
In the long term, a good level of air tightness extends the lifespan of key systems like HVAC units, which won’t need to work as hard to maintain optimum indoor temperature and air quality. You’re looking at lower energy wastage and lower bills in the future.
2. Better Energy Efficiency
Plugging any gaps and openings in your building stops indoor air and heat from escaping outdoors.
With heat and air comfortably sealed indoors, you’re reducing the need for more heating or cooling. Plus, with less of a need for air filtration, your HVAC systems don’t need to work as hard and can perform better over time. In this way, air-tightness improvements also allow you to improve energy efficiency and contribute towards low-carbon renovation.
3. Increased Building Durability
Air leaks from gaps in your property can lead to moisture ingress and mould growth. Over time, this can result in lasting structural damage. Conducting an air leakage test lets you identify and plug the leaks and protect the insulation and building frames from moisture-related degradation.
Controlling and regulating your internal environment allows you to extend the lifespan and durability of your building components and finishes.
4. Compliance with Regulations
Looking at air pressure testing and building regulations, conducting an air tightness test during renovations means you’re complying with the updated Part L of the UK Building Regulations. You can also achieve energy certifications such as BREEAM, LEED, and Passivhaus, which are the gold standard in assessment in both domestic and commercial property markets.
Conduct a quick and professional air-tightness test with Gio during structural upgrades for compliance purposes.
5. Lower Carbon Footprint
Air-tightness improvements directly impact your consumption of energy, thereby decreasing carbon dioxide emissions from your property.
After making improvements following your testing, your property will also begin to actively contribute towards the UK’s national and local carbon reduction targets.
6. Increased Property Value
Completing your property’s air tightness testing and amendments during the renovation stage itself allows you to develop good air tightness levels.
Maintaining these levels and further ratings may lead to a better evaluation of your property’s market value. It’ll also help you increase your property’s market appeal to buyers or lessees as an eco-friendly and sustainable investment.
7. Better Air Quality
Better air-tightness levels from the completion stage help you maintain better control of humidity levels and air quality. When leaks are sealed properly, you’ll prevent outdoor pollutants, allergens, moisture ingress, and mould from being able to enter your property.
With this in mind, clean and controlled indoor air levels allow for better health of your property occupants.
Property Renovations are Best Complete with an Office or House Air Tightness Test
When you partner with Gio Property Solutions for your air tightness test, you can rest assured knowing that you’ll receive impeccable and professional services. Our certified in-house assessor, Mark Giordmaina, can help you meet your air-tightness requirements and offer his expert recommendations.
We use state-of-the-art Pulse equipment to assess properties and are accredited by the IAA. We’re also proud to be the only organisation to develop a process for background Ventilation and Air Tightness Testing Training with technical input by Build Test Solutions (BTS), approved by Trustmark.
Experience accurate and reliable air-tightness assessments during your renovation process, without the hassle. We serve neighbourhoods in Essex, London, and beyond. Reach out to us today on 07510 060 669 for hassle-free and dependable air tightness testing services.
