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Air Tightness Testing

The National Construction Code 2019 introduced compliance of building envelope sealing, section JV4. This verification method requires a mandatory building air tightness test to be conducted according to Australian Standard 99:72 on all buildings.

Compliance with Section JV4 requires a building to not have an envelope permeability larger than 5m3/h/m2 or 10/m3/h/m2, depending on the building classification and climate zone.

Air tightness testing has been used in many other countries to verify energy models, reduce energy consumption and prove compliance with building permeability regulation. The carbon neutral by 2050 target set by COAG has put the federal and state governments on notice to investigate all options that reduce energy consumption. Building envelope leakage is a simple and highly effective first step in moving towards building energy efficiency, and is predicted to become integrated as an energy reduction tool for all construction in Australia.

Navigating envelope code compliance is an expensive and time-consuming process for designers and builders alike. For this reason, ALMA offer guidance during each project for all our clients to ensure their team understand the concept of building air tightness and develop identification skills to avoid expensive mistakes

ALMA have the equipment and experience for testing a large-scale commercial buildings and have been offering workshops, consulting and compliance testing for our clients for over 10 years Australia wide.

JV4 Building envelope sealing

Compliance with JP1(e) is verified when the envelope is sealed at an air permeability rate, tested in accordance with Method 1 of AS/NZS ISO 9972, of not more than:

  (a) for a Class 2 building or a Class 4 part of a building, 10 m3/hr.m2 at 50 Pa reference pressure; or

  (b) for a Class 5, 6, 8 or 9a or 9b building, other than a ward area, in climate zones 1, 7 and 8, 5 m3/hr.m2 at 50 Pa reference pressure; or

  (c) for a Class 3 or 9c building, or a Class 9a ward area inclimate zones 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8, 5m3/hr.m2 at 50Pa reference pressure.

 

We can test and certify to the following standards

  • ATTMA TSL1 & TSL2
  • AS/NZS ISO 9972 (CIBSE TM23)
  • USACE
  • EN 13829:2001
  • ASTM E779-10