Abstract

Air infiltrations can strongly determine the energy efficiency of a building and be a major cause of heat loss. This paper presents a study focused on establishing the air infiltration baseline in Chilean housing, by means of the analysis of on-site test results made according to the UNE EN 13829 Standard. The study was performed to a representative sample of dwellings built in the years 2007 and 2010. The sample was designed with a 95% of confidence limit and a 10% of error rate, considering the prevailing material of walls and grouping type as the variables of interest. For the purposes of this study a total of 191 housing units were analyzed. Statistical techniques were used for establishing inferences and levels of significance of the factors under study, which explain that the prevailing material of walls variable is the most appropriate for the elaboration of the baseline. Therefore, the air infiltration baseline for predominant material of walls is established with the following n50 values: concrete=9.0 ach; brickwork=11.8 ach; brickwork plus lightweight construction=15.0 ach; timber=24.6 ach; other materials=10.2 ach. The results allow the determination of the starting point for future improvements in the energetic quality of Chilean housing