Author/Contributor: BILD Alberta, Professional Home Builders Institute (PHBI)
Alberta Context: This video is the fourth in a six-part series of educational resources from BILD Alberta on the 2023 National Building Code – Alberta Edition.
Summary:
This educational video provides details on the introduction of the new 9.36.6 airtightness section in the code, explains what airtightness is, how to measure and test it, and outlines the differences between natural leakage rate (NLR), natural leakage area (NLA), and air changes per hour (ACH). It also goes over what happens when you increase the airtightness of a home and explains how blower door tests are conducted.
Watch the full video here, or jump to a section below:
- 0:44 What’s new with the ABC-AE 2023
- 2:40 Natural Leakage Area and Natural Leakage Rate
- 4:58 Air Changes per Hour (ACH)
- 5:58 What is Airtightness?
- 9:57 Airtightness Targets
- 12:03 All in the Details
- 16:51 Misconceptions
- 20:17 Blower Door Test
- 22:37 Guarded Vs Unguarded & Single Point Vs Multi Point
- 26:22 Blower Door Test Results
- 28:59 Benefits of Pre-Drywall Testing
- 32:49 Summary
Reference Links:
- BILD Alberta
- https://www.alberta.ca/building-codes-and-standards
- National Building Code: 2023 Alberta Edition
- National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings: 2020
