If you add insulation to your walls but you don’t pay attention to sealing them well, you’re asking for trouble. Make sure the walls don’t get wet from water leaks or air leaks! Building a better seal for airtightness and weather resistance doesn’t have to cost much. We’re talking about basics here: keep liquid water out by using basic flashing techniques and attention to detail. Then seal the air leaks! They carry moisture too. Make sure you provide good ventilation, then seal up every leak you can. Seal Tight and Ventilate Right. Keep out bugs, keep out smells, help control humidity, and save energy too. You’ll also build a more durable building!

ATTMA Air Tightness Testers around Australia: https://www.bcta.group/attma/members/air-tightness-testers/australia/

More information and videos about air sealing and ventilation at the AIVAA website:

Getting Energy Efficiency Right

https://www.mbav.com.au/getting-energy-efficiency-right

Minimising Condensation in Buildings videos from the ABCB:

https://www.abcb.gov.au/Resources/Videos/Minimising-Condensation-in-Buildings

Master Builders Victoria Maintaining the Thermal Building Envelope videos:

https://app.qin.world/mbavneebp/pages/76

Your Home: Australia’s Guide to Environmentally Sustainable Homes:

https://www.yourhome.gov.au/

The National Energy Efficient Buildings Project’s Cross-Industry Skills Training Project: http://energymining.sa.gov.au/energy_and_technical_regulation/energy_efficiency/national_energy_efficiency_building_project/cross-industry_skills_training_project

Built Better: The low carbon living knowledge hub for a better built environment:

http://builtbetter.org/

So what does it take to build more airtight on your next project? Well, if you’re just wanting to build to meet the National Construction Code (NCC 2019), it doesn’t take much, but there are a few big things you should pay attention to. When you want to build more airtight, you use the same techniques to build a “pretty good” house as you would to build a top performer. At this point, we’re just thinking in really simple terms: What’s inside? And what’s outside? You’d think it would be obvious, but sometimes it’s not. Use tools like the Red Pen Test. Simplicity is your best strategy for good results. And planning ahead will save you money! #buildingenvelope #redpentest #airtightness There are heaps of other resources available online, so check out see the links below:

ATTMA Air Tightness Testers around Australia: https://www.bcta.group/attma/members/air-tightness-testers/australia/

More information and videos about air sealing and ventilation at the AIVAA website:

Getting Energy Efficiency Right

https://www.mbav.com.au/getting-energy-efficiency-right

Minimising Condensation in Buildings videos from the ABCB:

https://www.abcb.gov.au/Resources/Videos/Minimising-Condensation-in-Buildings

Master Builders Victoria Maintaining the Thermal Building Envelope videos:

https://app.qin.world/mbavneebp/pages/76

Your Home: Australia’s Guide to Environmentally Sustainable Homes:

https://www.yourhome.gov.au/

The National Energy Efficient Buildings Project’s Cross-Industry Skills Training Project: http://energymining.sa.gov.au/energy_and_technical_regulation/energy_efficiency/national_energy_efficiency_building_project/cross-industry_skills_training_project

Built Better: The low carbon living knowledge hub for a better built environment:

http://builtbetter.org/

More emphasis on build quality is coming to Australia because it impacts building performance. It’s not so much WHAT you build with, but how WELL you put it all together. Take building sealing for airtightness. Why pay to heat or cool your home and then just let the air leak out? There’s a lot of problems with that:

● if it leaks air it might leak water.

● if it leaks air it might leak bugs.

● if it leaks air it impacts energy efficiency

There’s no good argument for air leakage through the building envelope – the floors, walls and ceilings. Random leakage is NOT the same as ventilation. Once you seal a building up well you can add some effective ventilation and it will finally work right. This video covers the basics of airtightness! Build Tight and Ventilate Right! There are heaps of other resources available online, so check out see the links below: #buildingairtightness #buildingperformance #energyeffciency