Cozy Home Performance is spending the week doing building diagnostics on the campus of Smith College. We will be doing air tightness testing in three dorms; one that was thoroughly renovated in the summer of 2009, and two dorms that are going to be renovated the summer of 2010.
The diagnostics, coordinated by the campus Sustainability Director and the 5-College Energy Manager, will help guage the opportunity for improved building energy efficiency on the Smith campus.
In addition to calculating total building air leakage, we assisted in identifying specific weak spots in the thermal envelope. The results of the air barrier tests can be used to appropriately set performance targets during renovations.
Smith College, as a leading College in regards to Sustainability initiatives, has a goal to achieve carbon neutrality- a major component of the Presidents’ Climate Commitment, adopted by President Carol Christ in 2007. The data that comes from the air tightness diagnostics will be helpful in understanding opportunities for decreasing the energy needed to house Smith students in large dormitories. Additional benefits of high performing buildings include improved occupant health, decreased energy bill costs, and improved building durability.
What is air-tightness testing?
With six blower-door units on site, Cozy Home Performance took multi-point readings of air flow at eight different building air pressure levels. We will crunch the numbers, using TechLog, a software program, to determine how leaky the buildings are, and how they compare to other buildings of similar size and age. In addition to the air-tightness diagnostics, we employed various tests including zonal pressure readings, smoke-puffer testing, and ‘fogging’.
Visit Smith College’s News posting about the diagnostics.
Thanks to Craig Marden and Todd Holland for their support and enthusiasm working with Cozy Home Performance.
