Air Tightness Testing in the Construction Industry: Ensuring Efficiency and Sustainability
In the ever-evolving construction industry, the focus on energy efficiency and sustainability has become paramount. As buildings strive to minimise energy consumption and reduce their environmental impact, air tightness testing has emerged as a crucial step in achieving these goals. By ensuring the integrity of a building’s envelope, air tightness testing plays a pivotal role in optimising energy performance, improving indoor air quality, and enhancing overall occupant comfort.

What is Air Tightness Testing?
Air tightness testing, also known as blower door testing, is a diagnostic procedure used to measure the air leakage of a building. It involves creating a pressure differential between the inside and outside of the structure while measuring the airflow that occurs as a result. This test helps identify areas of air leakage, such as gaps, cracks, and poorly sealed openings, allowing for targeted remediation and improved building performance.

Why is Air Tightness Important?
1️⃣ Energy Efficiency: Uncontrolled air leakage in a building can significantly impact its energy efficiency. Air infiltration can lead to heat loss during colder months and heat gain during warmer months, forcing heating and cooling systems to work harder and consume more energy. By conducting air tightness testing, construction professionals can identify and address these inefficiencies, resulting in reduced energy consumption and lower utility costs.

2️⃣ Indoor Air Quality: Air leakage not only affects energy efficiency but also impacts indoor air quality. Unfiltered air entering a building can introduce contaminants, allergens, and pollutants, compromising the health and comfort of occupants. By minimising air infiltration through air tightness testing, construction projects can ensure healthier indoor environments and promote occupant well-being.

3️⃣ Comfort and Thermal Performance: A tightly sealed building envelope reduces drafts and temperature variations, enhancing occupant comfort. By eliminating cold spots near windows, doors, and other vulnerable areas, air tightness testing contributes to maintaining consistent indoor temperatures and reducing the need for excessive heating or cooling.

4️⃣ Sustainability and Environmental Impact: As the construction industry strives to minimise its environmental footprint, air tightness testing plays a significant role in achieving sustainability goals. By reducing energy consumption, buildings with improved air tightness contribute to a lower demand for fossil fuel resources, resulting in decreased greenhouse gas emissions and a smaller carbon footprint.

How is Air Tightness Testing Conducted?
Air tightness testing involves the use of a specialised equipment called a blower door. The blower door consists of a calibrated fan installed in an external doorway or window, a pressure gauge, and various seals and accessories. The procedure typically involves the following steps:

1️⃣ Sealing Openings: All external doors, windows, vents, and other openings are closed, and internal doors are opened to allow for air circulation within the building.

2️⃣ Creating Pressure Differential: The blower door fan is activated to depressurise or pressurise the building. This creates a pressure differential between the interior and exterior, allowing for the measurement of air leakage.

3️⃣ Measuring Airflow: The pressure gauge connected to the blower door fan measures the airflow required to maintain the desired pressure differential. This measurement provides an indication of the building’s air tightness.

4️⃣ Identifying Air Leakage: During the test, construction professionals may utilise smoke pencils or infrared cameras to detect areas of air leakage. This information helps target specific areas for remediation and sealing.

5️⃣ Remediation and Retesting: Based on the results of the air tightness test, necessary repairs and improvements are made to reduce air leakage. Once remediation is complete, a retest is conducted to ensure the desired air tightness level has been achieved.

Benefits of Air Tightness Testing for Construction Professionals:
✅ Compliance: Many building codes and standards now require air tightness testing to meet energy efficiency and performance criteria. By conducting these tests, construction professionals can ensure compliance with regulations and obtain necessary certifications.

✅ Quality Assurance: Air tightness testing serves as a quality assurance measure, ensuring that the construction process meets the required standards. It helps identify potential issues early on, allowing for timely corrections and avoiding costly rework.

✅ Client Satisfaction: Buildings with improved energy efficiency, reduced utility costs, and enhanced comfort provide increased satisfaction to clients. By incorporating air tightness testing as part of their construction process, professionals can offer their clients a more sustainable and efficient end product.

In a world increasingly focused on sustainable development, air tightness testing has become a vital tool for construction professionals. By optimising energy performance, improving indoor air quality, and enhancing occupant comfort, air tightness testing not only benefits the environment but also contributes to the long-term success of construction projects. Embracing this practice is a step toward a greener and more sustainable future for the construction industry. 

In the world of construction, every decision, every process, and every investment counts. Builders and contractors are constantly seeking innovative solutions to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance safety. One technology that has proven to be immensely valuable in achieving these goals is thermal imaging surveys. By harnessing the power of infrared technology, construction professionals are gaining unprecedented insights into their projects, unlocking a plethora of benefits.

So, what exactly are thermal imaging surveys? Essentially, they involve using infrared cameras to capture and analyse the thermal patterns emitted by objects and structures. These patterns provide valuable information about temperature variations, heat loss, and potential issues within a building or construction site. Let’s dive into how thermal imaging surveys revolutionise the construction industry:

1️⃣ Building Inspections: Thermal imaging surveys play a crucial role in inspecting buildings during and after construction. By scanning the structure, professionals can identify thermal anomalies that may indicate insulation deficiencies, water leaks, or electrical problems. This early detection helps prevent costly repairs down the line and ensures the overall quality and safety of the building.

2️⃣ Energy Efficiency: In an era of growing environmental consciousness, energy efficiency has become a top priority. Thermal imaging surveys enable construction teams to identify areas of excessive heat loss or inadequate insulation. By pinpointing these energy inefficiencies, contractors can take targeted action to improve insulation, seal gaps, and optimise heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. This not only reduces energy consumption but also lowers utility costs for building owners and occupants.

3️⃣ Electrical Systems: Construction projects often involve complex electrical systems. Thermal imaging surveys can effectively detect electrical faults, overheating components, or loose connections that might lead to malfunctions or even fire hasards. By identifying potential issues in advance, construction professionals can implement timely repairs, ensuring the safety of the building and its occupants.

4️⃣ Plumbing and Water Leakage: Water damage can be a nightmare for construction projects, leading to costly repairs and delays. Thermal imaging surveys help detect hidden water leaks behind walls, floors, or ceilings. By identifying these leaks early on, contractors can address them promptly, preventing further damage and mold growth.

5️⃣ Safety and Risk Mitigation: Thermal imaging surveys contribute significantly to safety in the construction industry. By identifying potential hasards, such as overheating electrical components or insulation problems, contractors can mitigate risks before accidents occur. This proactive approach protects the well-being of workers and reduces the likelihood of costly liability claims.

6️⃣ Structural Integrity: The stability and durability of a building are of paramount importance. Thermal imaging surveys provide valuable insights into the structural integrity of a construction project. By detecting thermal anomalies that may indicate weak or damaged areas, professionals can take corrective measures to ensure the building’s long-term stability and safety.

Thermal Imaging Surveys – an Invaluable Tool
Thermal imaging surveys have become an invaluable tool in the construction industry. They provide construction professionals with the ability to detect hidden issues, improve energy efficiency, enhance safety, and ensure the overall quality of their projects. By harnessing the power of infrared technology, the construction industry is taking a giant leap toward smarter, more efficient, and sustainable practices.

As this technology continues to advance, we can expect even greater benefits and applications in the future. The future of construction is undoubtedly heating up, and thermal imaging surveys are leading the way! 

Contact APT Sound Testing
Contact APT Sound Testing today at 01525 303905 if you require a Thermal Imaging Survey in London or anywhere in the UK, and our professional and certified Level 2 Thermographer’s will carry out your thermographic Inspections for BREEAM compliance in accordance with all necessary standards and current regulations.

All we need are a few details such as floor plans and elevation drawings and the building location to provide a quotation. We will also send across our informative checklist to help you prepare for the thermal survey.

Thermal imaging surveys can identify many building defects such as missing or badly installed insulation. It can also find air leakage paths through the building envelope around areas such as leaky external doors and windows. It can also identify water ingress to walls, floors, roofs from water leaks and waterproofing failures due to bad detailing and missing damp trays etc., as well as damp in walls etc. due to badly installed and/or damaged downpipes.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to improve the efficiency of your dwelling is to make sure that it is well insulated and to improve the air tightness of the building – thermal imaging can help with this process. Unfortunately, many new and existing homes are missing essential insulation, and are very leaky leading to energy loss and much higher energy bills.

Our combined air tightness testing and thermal imaging surveys can help you determine if your building fabric (walls, floors, attic, and roof) are properly insulated as well as being airtight. Using highly trained thermographers, along with the latest high-resolution thermal cameras, we will check for gaps in the building fabric, as well as missing insulation, and we will provide you with a comprehensive report of our findings.

Thermal Imaging to locate drafts in your London home
Excessive draughts can be very uncomfortable blowing cold air into your home, via badly fitted doors, windows and penetrations and cracks in the walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs.

This can result in cold spots in your rooms, as well as wasting valuable energy.

Our London thermal imaging surveys can help you to identify potential defects in the building fabric and components, which allows draughts to come in via air leakage paths in the building fabric, so that you can seal them up and keep your home warm.

Thermal imaging to find Thermal Bridging in the Building Fabric
Our Thermal imaging surveys can also check for other defects such as thermal bridging, which is when the construction elements of the wall construction etc. literally bridge across cavities. This can be via excess mortar droppings etc. which causes a cold spot in the building envelope. we have also found Thermal bridging at the heads of external windows and doors, where clients have installed concrete lintels back-to-back, which bridges the cavity and causes a cold spot across the heads of the opening.

It is important to have a professional conduct thermal imaging surveys to ensure that all areas of potential thermal bridges are identified.

Our Expert Thermal Imaging Service includes:
Our experienced and highly qualified thermal imaging surveyors produce high-quality thermal imaging reports.

Our service comprehensive thermal imaging surveys include:

Level 3 thermographic certification
Level 3 qualified thermographers
Large format FLIR cameras with 45-degree lenses
Comprehensive and easy to follow thermography reports

Each thermal imaging report is reviewed and approved by our experienced and certified PCN Level 3 thermographers to ensure the highest quality for analysis as well as and recommendations as and when required.

Thermal Imaging Surveys
If you would like further information on our thermal imaging surveys and inspection services, please contact us at 01525 303905 are or infor@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or visit our website at www.aptsoundtesting.co.uk.

For more information on how to prepare for your thermal imaging survey, please download our thermal imaging checklist.

Thermal Imaging Surveys, Certified by APT Sound Testing in London
From our Clapham office in Central London, we can carry out your Thermal Insulation Testing, professionally with our efficient experienced team of thermography engineers.

We can provide an excellent service to the South East area from our Clapham base, covering many areas including, Central London, North London, South London, East London, West London, Croydon, Guildford, Slough, Reading, Maidstone and Hemel Hempstead.

Request a call from our experienced team of thermographic engineers or call us on 07775623464.

APT Sound Testing provides specialist thermal imaging surveys to customers through all industry sectors throughout the UK including construction and facility management projects throughout London and the South East.

Specialising in electrical thermal imaging surveys and building thermography in London, APT sound Testing is one of a few companies that only use surveyors that are trained certified to a minimum of ITC Level 2, which is the minimum requirement to undertake BREEAM Thermal Inspections throughout London and the rest of the UK for practising thermographer’s.

We have over 15 years of experience carrying out building thermal imaging surveys in support of industrial and commercial applications, our thermal inspections reportage contains the required reporting structures to satisfy the requirements expected by Construction and Insurance Companies, Facility Managers, Building Control and BREEAM 2011 Assessors etc.

Here at APT Sound Testing we realise that thermal imaging inspections can be vital in establishing potential defects in your buildings at the earliest possible stage. This can save you time and money during future operations together with reducing the risk of making the wrong decision and potential building shutdowns.

The combination of highly trained and certified and experienced thermographic surveyors as well as high specification calibrated equipment, guarantee our customers the best possible thermal imaging survey report to meet all of your needs.

Our thermal imaging team make sure that customer satisfaction comes first and our surveys are carried out with the upmost thoroughness and expertise.

APT Sound Testing are Thermal Imaging Engineers you can trust

There is no job too small or too far…

Although based in Central London we don’t shy away from travelling further afield to help our customers’ needs.

However, below are the areas where most customers get in touch with APT Sound Testing:

Central London, North London, South London, East London, West London, Croydon, Guildford, Slough, Watford, Reading, Maidstone and Hemel Hempstead.

Thermal imaging surveys are a great tool for identifying building defects in new or existing commercial building. They can pick issues within your building envelope, such as damaged or missing insulation,

Thermal imaging inspections are useful for spotting leaks in pipes, and detecting moisture damage such as dampness in floors walls, and ceilings, and is often instructed by insurance companies to determine whether there are any hidden dangers in buildings that could cause major damage such as old electrical and mechanical systems.

Common building defects found with thermal imaging surveys

There are literally hundreds of varying defects that can be found using thermal imaging inspections, here is a list of the most common issues found in residential and commercial buildings:

• Faulty Electrical Systems – thermal imaging is good for fault diagnosis in electrical systems. Components can be checked in a live state with little danger to the user, there is no effect on the components or interruption in any processes the electrical system may be controlled, thus no downtime for server rooms and/or manufacturing plant etc.
• Leaky Pipes – leaking pipes in walls, floors and ceilings allow you to quickly target and rectify the issue before it causes too much damage to your building
• Building Construction Defects – thermal Imaging surveys can identify construction faults such as damaged or missing insulation in cladding and/or cavity walls.
• Air Leakage Paths – Identifying air leak paths in your building fabric during your building survey can help you keep your building warmer and more insulated, often resulting in decreased energy costs.
• Moisture Issues – Thermography can help identify moisture problems on the interior or exterior of the property which can affect the drying of buildings.
• Flat Roof Leaks – Thermal Surveys can help reduce the chance of possible leakage in flat roofing before it becomes a wider issue.
• Damp Issues – Using thermal cameras, you are able to accurately identify areas of damp, allowing you to target and rectify the issue from its root cause.
• Building Renovations – Thermal Imaging can help identify which parts of a building need improving, saving time and money on unnecessary restoration works.
• Leaking Pipes – thermal imaging can help you identify locations of leaking pipes in walls, floors and ceilings allowing you to quickly target and rectify the issue before it causes too much damage to your building.

We provide high-quality Thermal Imaging Inspections

Our experienced and highly qualified thermal imaging surveyors produce higher quality and more technically consistent thermography inspections. Our Level 3 engineers can troubleshoot, calibrate equipment, interpret data, and create reports that are both informative and easy to follow.

When you are employing a thermographer, you should check to see that they incorporate the high specifications possible for their inspections. Are they certified to Level 3 and do they use large format thermal imaging cameras?

If you would like further information on out thermal imaging inspection services, please contact us at 01525 303905 are or infor@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or visit our website at www.aptsoundtesting.co.uk and download our thermal imaging checklist

APT Acoustic Design Service
The importance of good acoustic design and construction should not be underestimated. If a project fails its precompletion sound testing it may need costly remedial works to comply with Building Regulations Part E.

On new build developments we offer comprehensive acoustic design via coordination with the lead consultant. We can also visit site during the construction process to undertake a detailed site survey visit to check the onsite construction is as per the construction details – this is often good to ensure the relevant parties are fully aware of the installation detail required, which in turn may highlight possible ‘onsite’ construction problems.

Acoustic Design Service in London

On conversion projects we can visit site and undertake sample sound testing, this will evaluate the performance of the existing floor and wall partitions, which allows for targeted acoustic design as the acoustic performance of the dividing partitions may be already good – especially if the buildings floors are constructed out of cast in situ concrete.

APT Sound Testing provides a consultancy design service to Architects, Property Developers and Building Contractors. We specialise in helping small developers pass their sound testing to achieve Part E compliance for all types of project such as new build properties, blocks of flats and conversions.

Many of our clients have previously conveyed negative feedback that larger acoustic consultancies don’t understand small builder requirements and subsequently often produce complicated acoustic design detailing that are both difficult (in terms of build-ability) and very costly to undertake. We try to provide acoustic solutions that are cost effective and easy to construct, saving our clients time and money.

If you would like more information in regards to our acoustic design service and/or sound testing please contact us at 01525 303905 or visit our website at: www.aptsoundtesting.co.uk

APT Sound Testing Services
Here at APT Sound Testing we undertake sound testing on all types of residential buildings and commercial buildings. We also undertake sound testing on schools and buildings containing rooms for residential purposes.

We provide provide UKAS accredited sound testing for London and the whole of the UK as required by Approved Document E of the Building Regulations.

Experienced Sound Testing Engineers

The team of experienced sound test engineers at APT Sound Testing are dedicated to giving our customers the best quality of service and offer acoustic design advice where possible, to help our clients achieve the required acoustic results to pass the sound testing and attain building completion.

We can also undertake ‘in house’ UKAS accredited air tightness testing in one seamless package, lowering costs and negating coordination issues.

Who We Work With

APT Sound Testing have years of experience working with a wide range of clients that span both the public and private sectors. We have clients ranging from self-builders through to the largest housing developers. We also work with the health authority and the banking sector on their cleanroom testing. Our clients have benefited from our wealth of knowledge and friendly, proactive service that we provide.

We have one of the highest return-client rates of any precompletion testing and consultancy services within the United Kingdom. This is due to the proactive unique service that we can provide. We do not subcontract our work – everything is undertaken in-house.

We are one of the few companies that have an office in central London, which means we can respond quickly and efficiently to our client’s survey and testing requirements. We also have the resources to undertake last minute testing have the resource capabilities to carry our last minute testing and weekend working – which we often do in the banking sector) should it be required.

Thanks to highly trained engineers, we are able to provide a quick and efficient service with the emphasis on customer satisfaction, which is why we have one of highest return-client rates of any acoustic consultancy. Using our many years’ acoustic design experience has allowed us to build a knowledge base that helps us achieve an understanding of our client and project requirements. We are also a multi UKAS accredited laboratory, working to strict ISO standards so you can sure of a quality service from start to project completion.

In is our ongoing policy to listen to our clients’ needs and present them with practical, cost-effective solutions which also takes into account buildability considerations. This means that we offer acoustic consultancy solutions, which encompasses acoustic design and precompletion testing in one easy package.

We use the latest acoustic testing and survey equipment which is UKAS calibrated to the highest standards. By investing in both our personnel and equipment it allows us to offer a more efficient service.

APT Sound Testing strive to provide our clients with a guaranteed quality service every time they decide to get in touch.

The team at APT Sound Testing would love to hear about your latest project, so please get in touch now by calling 01525 303 905 or visit our website today.

Sound Testing for Leasehold Agreements
One of the main reasons for neighbour disputes is down to the fact that floor modifications may have taken place without the flat owner, first consulting his/her leasehold agreement. In many cases the lease agreement contains something similar to the following conditions:

‘If the tenant wants to change the floor construction within his dwelling he shall’:

Commission an independent acoustic consultant to carry out a pre installation test, design the new acoustic installation and carry out a post installation test and provide the results to the landlord’s surveyors for approval; and invite the Landlord’s surveyor to inspect the acoustic insulation before it is concealed; and accept that the Landlord.

Whilst granting this Licence, does not accept any responsibility for the design or performance of the insulation provided and that if any issues arise the Tenant will address these immediately. In the event of reasonable complaint being upheld by the Landlord or his agent concerning noise affecting other Tenants within The Building, the Tenant will arrange for carpeting (the provision of which shall be determined by the Landlord) to be positioned and maintained at the Tenant’s sole cost;

We offer a comprehensive acoustic service to let our clients comply with their leasehold agreements.

Pre-works Sound Testing of the existing construction. This offers an accurate overview of the acoustic performance of the existing floor partition/s prior to the commencement of construction works.

It also enables us to offer a targeted acoustic design using the sound insulation performance of the existing construction.

Acoustic design review – once we have the performance figures from the sample sound testing have been established, we can forward a design that should improve the performance of the existing floor partition – even if you are changing the floor from a carpet to engineered timber floor finish!

Site Survey Visit – This allows us to check that the installation team is installing the acoustic materials as per manufacturer’s guidelines.

Final Precompletion Sound Testing in-line with Approved Document E. This provides an accurate overview of the acoustic performance of the upgraded partition/s, the results of which can be handed over to the relevant person for sign off.

Having undertaken hundreds of sound tests across London and the South East, we know the importance of getting acoustic design right from the word go, is key, and APT Sound Testing can help in all areas of sound insulation design and sound testing. Please get in touch with us today to request a quote or call us on 01525 303905 to discuss your development. Alternatively, visit our website for more information.

Please Note: Although we take every care to ensure the information was correct at the time of publication. Any written guidance provided does not replace the user’s professional judgment. It is the responsibility of the duty-holder or person carrying out the work to ensure compliance with relevant building regulations or applicable technical standards.

Undertaking a thermographic survey can be one of the easiest and cost-effective ways to generate BREEAM credits. Thermographic surveys are now a feature of BREEAM the environmental assessment method and rating system for commercial and domestic buildings. We always work proactively with clients to ensure a successful outcome.

BREEAM New Construction and BREEAM 2012 Domestic Refurbishment award credits for thermography surveys carried out by a Level 2 certified thermography engineer. The way each scheme works with respect to awarding points for thermography is slightly different. The very latest BREEAM 2014 UK New Construction scheme provides BREEAM credits for thermographic surveys but is in a slightly different way. A quick summary is below:

BREEAM Technical Guide
This new BREEAM technical guide describes an environmental performance standard against which new, non-domestic buildings in the UK can be assessed, rated, and certified. You can gain 1 BREEAM credit for a BREEAM thermographic survey in London. Within Man 01 – Sustainable Procurement, it states the following:

This new BREEAM technical guide describes an environmental performance standard against which new, non-domestic buildings in the UK can be assessed, rated, and certified. You can gain 1 BREEAM credit for a BREEAM thermographic survey in London. Within Man 01 – Sustainable Procurement, it states the following:

>>> The main contractor accounts for a thermographic survey within the project budget and programme of work.
>>> Once construction is complete a thermographic survey of the building fabric is undertaken in accordance with the appropriate standard and by a professional holding a minimum Level 2 certificate in thermography.

The survey confirms:
Continuity of insulation in accordance with the construction drawings
Avoidance of excessive thermal bridging
Avoidance of air leakage paths through the fabric (except through intentional openings)
Any defects identified via the post-construction inspections are rectified

We use the latest high-resolution thermal imaging cameras to undertake our Thermographic Surveys throughout London and the Southeast. Thermal imaging is one the quickest and easiest ways to undertake fault diagnosis on your buildings, as thermography can quickly and accurately identify building faults and an easy to follow reports, so the defects can be quickly indented and rectified by the contractors.

When you are employing a thermographer, you should check to see that they incorporate the high specifications possible for their inspections. Are they certified to Level 3 and do they use large format FLIR thermal imaging cameras?

Their specification should include:

>>> Level 3 thermographic certification
>>> Level 3 qualified thermographers
>>> Large format FLIR cameras with 45-degree lenses

The benefits of thermographic inspections are well documented and when it’s used in conjunction with air tightness testing it can be a very power combination – especially when its used on commercial buildings.

We hope this information on thermal imaging inspections has been helpful. If you require a Thermal imaging survey our professional and certified Level 3 Thermographer’s will carry out your thermographic Inspections for BREEAM compliance in accordance with all necessary standards and current regulations.

All we need are a few details such as floor plans and elevation drawings and the building location to provide a quotation. We will also send our informative checklist to help you prepare for the thermal survey.

Please contact us for more information on our thermographic inspection services. If you would like to contact us for more information on our thermal imaging services, please contact us on 01525 303905 or by visiting our website.