Improving Acoustics in Dwellings
When designing a new project containing multiple dwellings, why go further than just meeting the basic regulations. For instance, if you only manage to achieve the minimum requirements for compliance with Building Regulations Part E for sound testing, then the chance of noise complaints will usually be higher than if you better it by 5-7dB.  

The World Health Organisation defines noise as ‘unwanted sound’ and such noise in buildings can have significant effects on the people (residents) who occupy them. If a person is subjected to excessive noise for long periods, it can result in physical discomfort or mental distress and in many cases noise complaints.

The WHO estimates that around 50% of the population of the European Union live in areas are exposed to noise levels that do not ensure acoustic comfort to their inhabitants and more than 30% are exposed to noise levels at night which is at a level disturbing to sleep this is simply not good enough.

Within homes, a noisy neighbour can be one of the main problems experienced in attached housing. It’s estimated that up to 4 million people in Britain have had their lives disturbed by noisy neighbours.

The best way to combat excess noise is to ensure that proper precautions are taken at the design stage of the project and thereafter during the construction of the building. Noise transmission levels should be compatible with the building’s usage with the correct acoustic climate provided in each space.

The UK has the building regulations and a number of sector-specific guidance documents covering noise, these are:

• Approved Document E
• Building Bulletin 93
• Health Technical Memorandum 08-01
• BS8233
• BS4142

There are strong arguments for considering solutions that go above and beyond just meeting the minimum requirements in the above regulations. For instance using acoustic ceiling products and partition systems it is possible to create environments that offer greater acoustic comfort for occupants go above and beyond the standard Building Regulations requirements, which should have a positive impact on health, well-being and productivity.

Firstly, get advice on acoustic design before starting construction. The most effective way to ensure you improve the acoustics on your project and pass your sound test at the first attempt is to plan your project with sound insulation in mind. This does not need to be costly, and can save considerable time and cost at the end of the project, by reducing the chance of needing to undertake remedial works and re-testing.

The two main areas to take into consideration are usually the dividing wall and floor partitions. If you are unsure of how to build the separating wall and floor partitions and associated junctions across your project don’t panic, we can offer an acoustic design service. The degree of guidance you require can vary from site to site; however, we can cater for every eventuality by offering sample sound testing to establish the sound insulation performance of your existing wall and floors. Thereafter we can undertake more targeted design review using the information at hand.

When your project is underway, we can visit site and check the construction is being constructed as designed. Even minor alterations can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of your sound insulation measures.

Contact APT Sound Testing
If you have a new project and you need help with your acoustic design and/or sound testing then please email us at: info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk  or call us on 01525 303905. If you want more information on our full range of services please visit our website at: www.aptsoundtesting.co.uk

If you would like to download more information on how to prepare for your sound testing, please click download our sound testing checklist.

Sound Testing Services for New Build Dwellings
Sound Insulation Testing became mandatory in England & Wales in 2003, when Approved Document E was updated. Approved Document E requires new and converted to achieve a reasonable level of sound insulation between dwellings. The simplest way to comply with the requirements of Approved Document E; is to have on-site pre-completion sound insulation tests carried out on your project. We carry out full sound testing services in compliance with Approved Document E.

Sound Testing for New Build
In our experience there is usually a level of apprehension with our clients having to undertake pre-completion sound insulation tests.  This is often down to the fear of failure. It should be remembered; however, that if the acoustic design specification is closely followed, and a good standard of onsite workmanship is maintained there is very little chance of failure.

Approved Document E requires a minimum of one ‘set’ of tests for every ten units in each group and/or sub group.  Is usually broken down to the following: two airborne wall, two airborne floor and two impact sound tests. For example, if you have a block of 100 flats, all of the same construction, you would usually conduct 10 ‘sets’ of tests. If you have a development of 25 houses, with five different sub-groups (5 units in each) then you would usually conduct 5 ‘sets’ of tests. 

As previously stated a set of tests usually consists of two airborne tests of separating walls and two airborne tests and two impact tests on separating floors; however, if no separating floors are available, i.e. in semi-detached or terraced houses, one set of tests would consist of two airborne tests of separating walls only.

To test the airborne sound insulation properties of a floor or wall, a sound source which consists of an amplifier and loud speaker is set up on one side of the wall or floor partition that is to be tested. We then turn the setting to turn on Pink noise. Pink noise sounds like the static that can be heard on a radio that is off station or the old TV test card noise. This type of noise is used because it is made up of a wall of sound that has a wide spectrum of frequencies.

This provides an indication of sound insulation performance for a wide range of sounds that may be experienced within a dwelling from speech to a kettle boiling. The pink noise is measured in the room which contains the speaker or sound source using a Class 1 Norsonic sound level meter; thereafter the noise is measured on the other side of the wall or floor partition that is being tested. In layman’s terms the difference between these two levels is the amount of sound that is stopped by the sound insulating qualities if the wall or floor partition/s.

The result is then corrected and adjusted depending on the echo or reverberation time within the receiving room, and any background noise such as builders work noise etc. to give the airborne sound insulation result (DnT,w). The results of these tests are then compared to the performance criteria of Approved Document E – 45dB new build & 62dB for conversions) and a pass or fail sound test certificate is produced

To test the impact sound insulation performance of a floor, a Norsonic tapping machine which consists of five small hammers that are dropped onto the floor to simulate foot fall, is placed on the floor. The resultant noise in the room below is measured with a Norsonic Class 1 sound level meter and the amount of noise that passes through the floor is the impact sound transmission level and is expressed as a single number.

This result is then corrected and adjusted depending on the reverberation time of the rooms as well as any background noise to give the impact sound transmission result (LnT,w). The results of these tests are then compared to the performance criteria of Approved Document E – 62dB new build & 64dB conversions) and a pass or fail sound testing certificate is produced.

If pre-completion test results do not satisfy the performance criteria of Approved Document E, then our test engineer will attempt to determine the possible causes of failure. This may be to do with construction detailing around services or at junctions, or simply, poor acoustic design. Once the results have been finalised along with the associated graphs, our acoustician (with the aid of the information from the sound test engineer, we should be able to determine the specific cause of failure. Once a specific reason for failure has been determined, we can then advise the client on remedial actions that can be undertaken.

Contact APT Sound Testing Services
If you have a project that’s needs acoustic design advice or needs pre-completion sound testing then please visit our website at aptsoundtesting.co.uk or call us directly on 07775 623464 and we should be able to offer you an acoustic solution to help your project achieve practical completion.

Thermal Imaging Surveys
APT Sound Testing provide UKAS accredited sound testing & Thermal Imaging Surveys for London and the whole of the UK as required by Approved Document E of the Building Regulations. We undertake projects on all types of residential buildings and commercial buildings. We also undertake sound testing on schools and buildings containing rooms for residential purposes.

Thermal Imaging Surveys in London

A thermal Imaging survey is a completely non-invasive method of investigating many aspects of a building that are virtually impossible by any other method.

Thermal Imaging Process

A thermal Imaging survey is an extraordinary method of investigating many aspects of a building that is completely non-invasive.

Thermal Imaging Inspections use IR Thermography to identify a wide range of issues such as:

• Incorrectly applied or inadequate insulation within the building envelope

• Locating air leakage paths into/out of your building

• Moisture infiltration

• Poor moisture barriers

There is no other low impact and accurate way to assess the unseen performance of insulation or the building fabric.

A thermal Imaging Survey can is also ideal for identifying water penetration through roofs or other parts of a building structure, alleviating the need for time consuming water dye tests which are not always accurate.

APT Sound Testing uses the latest Flir Thermal Imaging Cameras for our thermography report generation and as well as utilising the latest software for accurate reportage and trend analysis.

This means or thermal imaging reports can be issued within hours of the survey being completed with recommendations to help our clients deal with every eventuality.

How we Prepare for a Thermographic Survey

What is also important is that there must be no direct or residual solar loading from the sun in the building.

Many companies have their thermal imaging surveys undertaken an hour or so after sunset and this is usually flawed and may lead to inaccurate results. Whilst there may be rate exceptions to this, as a rule, there will be solar load in the building for many hours after sunset.

Therefore, we have learnt to undertake more accurate reportage the thermal imaging surveys should generally be conducted in the early hours of a cold morning, approx.

Two hours before the sun can fall on the building. It is more difficult to undertake conduct these types of heat loss survey during summer months when the ground temperatures and surrounding buildings are at high temperatures for months on end; however, this can be overcome by ramping up internal temperatures within the building and using the latest and more advanced thermal imaging cameras.

In all cases APT Sound Testing will check each project in isolation to ensure the correct site conditions are in place prior to undertaking the thermal imaging survey in compliance with the requirements with BS EN 13187. Building Regulations Part L and this link both offer lots of useful information in regards to Thermography Surveys.

We 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.

If you need more information on how to prepare your building for a Thermal Imaging Survey please download our air tightness testing checklist. If you would like more information in regards to our, please visit our website or call us Direct on 07775 623464.

Preparing for Sound Testing
For APT to undertake accurate sound testing we require that certain guidelines are followed, i.e. keeping site noise levels to be kept to a minimum etc. To record accurate test measurements, relatively quiet conditions are required on-site throughout the testing. Any site operatives working in the testing area will have to leave temporarily and any noisy works in the vicinity of the test areas including external site activity such as groundworks, drilling and banging will need to be halted, otherwise, it may result in a sound test failure.  We always provide a full sound testing checklist within our quotation which identifies what actions need to be undertaken prior to the sound insulation test.

The condition the buildings/dwelling is very important, as they can influence the results of the test. The following stages for sound testing will help preparation and also assess the point at which completed buildings can be tested. Generally before the test the parts of the building/rooms either side of the separating wall or separating floor should be complete.

Particular attention should be paid to the following:

1.    All separating floors and walls and all flanking walls and floors should be complete.

2.    All wall and floor junctions should be complete – to include flanking strips etc.

3.    All wall finishes should be complete, this should include skirting’s being in place. This does not include decorative finishes such as paint.

4.    Floors must be bare and no carpets should be laid – where a concrete floor with bonded resilient cover is to be fitted with wood based flooring. In this case, the test sample resilient floor cover should be tested with a wood based floor covering laid over the test sample area.

5.    Windows should be installed with all glass fitted.

6.    Trickle vents should be in place and closed.

7.    All doors should be fully fitted and closed. This includes internal doors and external doors fully fitted with doors seals.

8.    Services should be complete and any voids around ducts finished.

9.    Electrical sockets should be fitted.

10.   A 240V electricity supply should be available to all the test plots.

11.   There should be no noise during the test other than from the testing equipment.

12.   The test plots and adjacent areas within the building should be quiet for the duration of the test.

13.   No work should be carried out or noise made in the building at the time of the test.

14.   Site workers should not enter the building or be in the parts of the building undergoing a test.

After the sound insulation test a report or certificate should be provided in compliance with Building Regulations Part E.

This normally provides the following information:

1.    The company name and/or testers name and address that carried out the test and the accreditation held by the membership organisation.

2.    The client/applicant name.

3.    Site address.

4.    Plots tested

5.    If it was a wall or floor test.

6.    List of equipment used (including details on calibrated equipment) and testing technique.

7.    Confirmation that the test was in accordance with BS EN ISO 140 Part 4 (airborne) and Part 7 (impact).

8.    Measurement procedure.

9.    The results should be calculated in accordance with BS EN ISO 717-1 and 717-2 1997. Detailed test results giving a declaration of a pass or fail.

10.   Date of test. The test results or certificates will be submitted to the verifier during the completion certificate process.

The test duration depends on the amount of tests required on the project. Taking into account standard site conditions a set of tests on houses -two airborne walls will take one to two hours. A six pack of tests on flats, consisting of two airborne walls, two airborne floor and two impact tests will take between two to three hours. Throughout the sound testing we will require full free uninterrupted access to the units/rooms in all test areas.

We offer an acoustic design service to review the construction detailing. We also offer a sample testing service along with site inspections which provides a ‘one stop acoustic solution’. We visit site during the build process to check for any workmanship issues that may cause problems during the final pre-completion sound testing.

If you would like APT Sound Testing to review your site’s acoustic construction, then please speak to us about our acoustic design service. Call us today on 01525 303905 or alternatively visit the APT Sound Testing website for more information.

What Types of Sound Testing are required for Approved Document E?

Sound insulation testing must be carried out on new build and conversion dwellings. The dwellings will either require Airborne and/or impact sound testing depending on the type of dwelling. For houses airborne wall tests are usually required; however, for flats you usually need to carry out airborne wall, airborne floor and impact sound testing.

Here is a brief explanation on the two types of sound insulation tests:

Airborne Sound Tests – Airborne tests are carried out on party walls and floors/ceilings between dwellings. Airborne sound testing measures levels of sound transmitted through the air. We use a Norsonic loudspeaker that produces white noise on one side of the partition, and measure with a decibel meter on the other side how much sound is lost through the partition.

Examples of airborne noise that you usually expect to find in dwellings are people talking, radios and televisions.

Impact Sound Tests – These are only carried out on separating floor/ceiling divides between dwellings – usually on flats. An impact test measures the levels of noise transmitted directly through a separating construction as a result of impact noise, which emulates footfall noise from above. To produce footfall noise we use a tapping machine, which drops metal hammers onto the floor to create impact noise. We then measure the amount of sound that passes through the partition with a decibel meter in the room below the floor partition.

All testing should be carried our between ‘habitable’ rooms. Habitable rooms can be lounges, bedrooms, studies, living rooms and kitchens. Test findings are fed into an Approved Document E complaint report that will be then sent to the client to pass on to the tasked building control body. This sound test report should always be acceptable to Building Control and will help you to get your development signed off.

We provide a turnkey acoustic solution for consultants, project managers and developers from the design stage of developments, right through to the final precompletion testing, ensuring our clients have peace of mind when it comes to the acoustics on their projects.

APT Sound Testing is UKAS accredited to undertake Sound Insulation Testing under ISO/IEC 17025:2017. As a UKAS accredited laboratory we are required to attain the highest standards at all times.

For further information, please see our frequently asked questions section, or to prepare for your sound testing please download our sound test checklist.

For more information please contact us at info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or call us on 07775623464. Alternately, for more information please visit our website at www.aptsoundtesting.co.uk

Sound Insulation Testing Information for Clients

Sound insulation testing or pre-completion sound testing must be carried out on new build dwellings as well as on converted dwellings. The dwellings will either require an Airborne sound test or an Airborne and Impact sound test. Airborne tests are carried out on separating walls between habitable rooms of dwellings such as houses or flats. Airborne and Impact sound tests are carried out on the separating partition floors between habitable rooms of flats. All sound insulation testing must comply with Approved Document E of Building Regulations.

All of our sound insulation tests are carried out in accordance with ISO 140-4 and ISO 140-7 and we are a UKAS accredited test laboratory, so you can be safe in the knowledge that all our sound testing is carried out to the highest standards in compliance with ISO 17025/2017.

New build properties need to meet the requirements of DnTw+Ctr ≥45dB (more than) and LnTw  ≤62dB (less than).  Conversion properties need to meet the requirements of DnTw+Ctr ≥43dB (more than) and LnTw ≤64dB (less than).

APT Sound Testing test engineers have over 15 years of experience in sound insulation testing throughout London and the South East. We are experts in acoustic consultancy as well as the testing, having completed hundreds of acoustic design projects jobs throughout the UK. We take pride in offering all of our clients a personal and comprehensive acoustic service which is reflected in our positive google reviews and testimonials.  (See our positive customer testimonials here)

We provide a turnkey acoustic solution for consultants, project managers and developers from the design stage of developments, right through to the final precompletion testing, ensuring our clients have peace of mind when it comes to the acoustics on their projects.

What Is Sound Insulation Testing for Approved Document E?

As we have explained, Sound insulation testing must be carried out on new build dwellings as well as on converted dwellings. The dwellings will either require an Airborne sound test or an Impact sound test depending on the dwelling type.

Here is a brief explanation on the two types of sound tests:

Airborne Sound Tests – Airborne tests are carried out on party walls and floors/ceilings between dwellings. Airborne sound testing measures levels of sound transmitted through the air. We use a Norsonic loudspeaker that produces white noise on one side of the partition, and measure with a decibel meter on the other side how much sound is lost through the partition.

Examples of airborne noise that you usually expect to find in dwellings are people talking, radios and televisions.

Impact Sound Tests – These are only carried out on separating floor/ceiling divides between dwellings – usually on flats. An impact test measures the levels of noise transmitted directly through a separating construction as a result of impact noise, which emulates footfall noise from above. To produce footfall noise we use a tapping machine, which drops metal hammers onto the floor to create impact noise. We then measure the amount of sound that passes through the partition with a decibel meter in the room below the floor partition.

All testing should be carried our between ‘habitable’ rooms. Habitable rooms can be lounges, bedrooms, studies, living rooms and kitchens. Test findings are fed into an Approved Document E complaint report that will be then sent to the client to pass on to the tasked building control body. This sound test report should always be acceptable to Building Control and will help you to get your development signed off.

For further information, please see our frequently asked questions section, or to prepare for your sound testing please download our sound test checklist.

APT Sound Testing is UKAS accredited to undertake Sound Insulation Testing under ISO/IEC 17025:2017. As a UKAS accredited laboratory we are required to attain the highest standards at all times.

It is common knowledge that the assessment criteria used by UKAS are internationally recognised as being the best indicators of accurate, impartial and consistent performance. UKAS accreditation demonstrates an organisation’s competence, impartiality and performance capability against internationally recognised standards.

For more information on our Acoustic Design services and Sound Testing services in London, please give me a call direct on 07775 623464  or email us at info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk

Want to Know More About Sound Testing?

Airborne and Impact Sound is transmitted through most walls and floors by setting the entire structure into vibration. This vibration generates new sound waves of reduced intensity on the other side. The passage of sound into one room of a building from a source located in another room or outside the building is termed ”sound transmission”. 

Sound transmission loss or Sound Reduction Index, R dB, is a measure of the effectiveness of a wall, floor, door or other barrier in restricting the passage of sound. The sound transmission loss varies with frequency and the loss is usually greater at higher frequencies. The unit of measure of sound transmission loss is the decibel (dB). The higher the transmission loss of a wall, the better it functions as a barrier to the passage of unwanted noise across the dividing (acoustic) partitions.

Sound Testing Explained

Approved Document E stipulates that there are two types of sound insulation in buildings: airborne and impact. Airborne sound insulation is used when sound produced directly into the air is insulated and it is determined by using the sound reduction index. Impact sound insulation is used for floating floors and it is determined by the sound pressure level in the adjacent room below.

A sound insulation test of a separating partition will be considered as a pass if the airborne sound insulation is equal to or greater than the DnT,w + Ctr value shown for the appropriate dwelling in the table, for airborne testing in new builds properties a figure of 45dB or greater is required and for Impact testing 62dB and below. For conversion properties a figure of 43dB or greater is required and for Impact testing 64dB and below.

What is DnT,w

DnT,w is an in-situ measured performance parameter which demonstrates the level of resistance to sound transmission between two adjacent spaces, such as flats or houses. The measurement will include both direct sound transmission and flanking sound transmission of the construction. Flanking transmission is the effect of sound travelling through the building and may be particularly evident where beams and joists bridge a common partition or along poorly isolated lightweight wall constructions.

The DnT,w of a separating wall or floor will typically be of the order 5 to 7 dB lower than the manufacturers specified Rw (single figure quantity of sound insulation) for the single element, due principally to the contribution from flanking sound transmission around the element when it is built on site – this should always be accounted for in the initial acoustic design.

What is Ctr

Ctr is the spectrum adaption term. It is a correction attributed to the sound insulation quantity to account for urban traffic noise.

What is L’nT,w

L’nT,w is an in-situ measured performance parameter which demonstrates the level of resistance to impact sound transmission between floors. The impact measurement includes both direct sound transmission and flanking sound transmission.

Weighted Sound Reduction Index Rw

When specifying the acoustic performance of an acoustic partition in a more general manner, it can be useful to describe the sound insulation by a single number. The weighted sound reduction index, Rw , is a rating method given in EN ISO 717-1. This standard fits a standard reference curve to the measured sound reduction index curve.

Within the EN ISO 717-1 standard, a rating method is also given where the Rw value is completed by two C-terms which are applied to two models of the noise spectra for various types of noise. These two terms, Rw + C and Rw + Ctr, also include the frequency range 100 – 3150 Hz but can be extended to 50 – 5000 Hz. As industrial and traffic noise often have high sound levels which are also below 100 Hz, it is recommended that the extended frequency area is used.

The summary value, Rw + C, gives the reduction value in dBA for a spectrum with a level which is equally high in all third-octave bands. This can be used for:

•             Highway road traffic travelling at speeds in excess of 80 km/h

•             Factories emitting mainly medium and high frequency noise

•             Living activities (talking, music, radio, TV)

•             Railway traffic at medium and high speed

•             Jet aircraft at a short distance

The summary value Rw + Ctr also gives the reduction value in dBA, spectrum with low-frequency dominance such as:

•             Disco music

•             Urban road traffic

•             Railway traffic at low speeds

•             Factories emitting mainly low and medium frequency noise

Both the impact and airborne insulation performance of floors and walls should be carefully considered from the start of the project to ensure that the minimum performance requirements for new and converted developments are met inline with Approved Document E

If you would like more information in regards to our sound testing and/or noise survey services, please contact us now at info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk.

Identifying Building Defects: Thermographic Building Surveys

Thermography measures surface temperatures of buildings by using infrared cameras. These instruments see light that is in the heat spectrum. Images on the video record the temperature variations of the building’s envelope, ranging from white – for warm regions, to black for cooler areas.

The resulting thermal images help the thermography engineer to determine whether insulation is required within existing buildings and/or there is missing insulation in new build projects and it has been installed correctly. Thermal imaging can also identify excessive cold bridging, air leakage, breaks in insulation and/or electrical and mechanical faults.

Thermographic Building Inspections to Commercial Building Envelopes

A thermal building inspection can be carried out to both the exterior and interior of buildings. The energy assessor usually decides which method would give the best results under the prevailing weather conditions. For instance for BREEAM, external thermal imaging inspections are more common. However, if it is windy on the day of the test it may be harder to detect temperature differences on the outside surface of the building; because of this difficulty, interior surveys can be more accurate because they benefit from reduced air movement.

Thermographic building inspections can also be used with blower doors used for air tightness testing. The blower door helps exaggerate air leaking through defects within the building envelope i.e. the floors, walls and roof. Air leakage paths will appear as black streaks in the infrared camera’s viewfinder. Here is some more information on using the powerful combination of air tightness testing and thermal imaging for BREEAM building inspections.

We hope this information has been helpful. If you require a Thermal imaging survey on your building, our professional and certified Level 2 thermographer’s will carry out your thermographic Inspection in compliance 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.

For more information please contact us at info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or visit our website at www.aptsoundtesting.co.uk

The importance of thermal imaging on Commercial Buildings.
Thermal imaging inspections are the best way to assess continuity of insulation once the building fabric is complete on commercial buildings. It is also a very effective method of locating air leakage paths in a completed building.

This article discusses the legal requirements in Building Regulations and also the availability of BREEAM credits for thermal imaging, as well as England & Wales Building Regulations and supporting guidance, specifically Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power).

At the time of writing this publication, it was not known what form these would take. Building Regulations for England and Wales require that reasonable provision shall be made for the conservation of fuel and power in buildings by trying to limit heat gains and losses through thermal elements and other parts of the building fabric. This requirement is supported by guidance in four Approved Documents:

• • • • Approved Document L1A – New Dwellings
      • Approved Document L1B – Work in Existing Dwellings
      • Approved Document L2A – New Non-Dwellings
      • Approved Document L2B – Work in Existing Non-Dwellings

The above approved documents highlight the importance of thermal imaging for investigating the thermal performance of the building envelope. The four Approved Documents also provide the following guidance: “The building fabric should be constructed so that there are no reasonably avoidable thermal bridges in the insulation layers caused by gaps within the various elements, at the joints between elements, and at the edges of elements such as those around window and door openings”.

All our APT’s thermographic engineers hold a minimum of Level 2 certification. We use the latest Flir high resolution thermal imaging cameras for all our surveys. Thermal imaging is the only practical way of checking that thermal insulation hidden in the structure meets the requirements for continuity of insulation.

More details for both our thermal imaging and air tightness testing services can be found on our website at www.aptsoundtesting.co.uk.

Please visit us at for our thermal imaging guide and checklist and here for our air tightness testing guide and checklist.

If you would like more information on our Themographic Building Inspection service, please contact us at info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or call us on: 01525 303905

Thermal Imaging Inspections and Air Tightness Testing a Powerful Combination. The importance of thermographic inspections and air tightness testing cannot be understated when investigating the integrity of your commercial building envelope; it is also one of the only ways to accurately check that thermal insulation hidden in the structure meets the requirements for continuity of insulation.

in the case of new buildings, it is a requirement to carry out airtightness testing – once the designed air leakage rate has been established and once completed the measured air permeability is fed into the CO2 emissions calculations. In the case of existing buildings, the guidance on continuity of insulation only applies where new thermal elements (for example walls, floors, and roofs.) are provided, for example when an extension is built. There are no requirements for CO2 emissions calculations or air-tightness testing on existing buildings; although this may be a client requirement.

Regulation 43 of the Building Regulations for England and Wales requires air pressure testing to be carried out on all new buildings, in order to be satisfied that provision has been made to limit heat gains and losses through the building fabric. This includes heat transfer by air leakage. For new dwellings, Building Regulations Approved Document L1A [1] requires air tightness testing be carried out on a representative sample of dwellings – although this has since been changed to all dwellings. Approved Document L2A relating to new buildings other than dwellings requires an air leakage test to be carried out on all buildings subject to the regulations in accordance with the standard test method.

APT Sound Testing uses the latest Flir high resolution thermal imaging cameras for all our surveys and our thermographic engineers hold a minimum of Level 2 certification – the minimum required to undertake BREEAM thermal surveys.

More details for both our thermal imaging and air tightness testing services can be found on our website at www.aptsoundtesting.co.uk. Also, to help you prepare your building for thermal imaging and air tightness testing, please download our thermal imaging guide and checklist and here for our air tightness testing guide and checklist.

If you would like more information on our Thermographic Building Inspection service, please contact us at info@aptsoundtesting.co.uk or call us on: 01525 303905