Red River College Exploring Air Leakage in Manitoba Buildings
Originally posted on Red River College’s Applied Research blog.
While some buildings in Manitoba’s harsh climate perform well over time, others experience major problems ranging from high-energy bills to crumbling facades. Researchers with Red River College are aspiring to determine why.
With funding from Manitoba Hydro, RRC will test 20 commercial buildings throughout the Province over the next 16 months for air leakage, a critical factor in a building’s energy use, durability, air quality and comfort.
“It is a significant but essential step to better understand how air leakage affects Manitoba’s commercial buildings,” said Rob Spewak, RRC’s research manager. “Manitoba Hydro’s support and assistance reinforces the importance of this issue.”
The need for airtightness in buildings was initially seen only as an energy issue, since excessive air leakage can significantly increase heating and cooling costs, but other significant problems can occur.