Duct leakage in European buildings: status and perspectives

A large number of modern European buildings are equipped with ducted air di stribution systems. To investigate the implications of duct leakage, a fiel d study was performed on 42 duct systems in Belgium and France. The measure ment data confirm the findings of the few earlier experimental investigatio ns on these matters in Europe. In our sample, the leakage rate appears to b e typically three times greater than the maximum permitted leakage adopted in EUROVENT 2/2 (Class A). The advantages of tight ducts are illustrated wi th a theoretical case study on a balanced ventilation system with heat reco very. It indicates that the overall effectiveness of the system reduces dra stically if the ducts are leaky. The savings potential of an airtight duct policy at the European level is calculated (a) based on estimates of the nu mber of buildings equipped with mechanical ventilation systems, and (b) ass uming market penetration scenarios of rehabilitation techniques. At the Eur opean level, the cumulative savings potential over a period of 10 years app ears to be in the region of 10 TW h (36 pJ). (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.