Air Barrier Continuity
What is the Building Envelope?
5 Elements
Roof
Floor/
Foundation
Walls
Doors
Windows
3 Functions
Insulation
Barrier
o
o
o
o
o
Air
Water
Vapor
Dust
Pests
Structural
Durability
Building envelope offers three functions:
insulation, barrier and structural durability
What’s Building Envelope manufacturer
know about High Performance Buildings
$5 million Invested to Prove HPBS – Driving toward Net Zero
“The Building System Approach”
UNDERSTANDING THE BUILDING
SYSTEM APPROACH FOR
ENERGY EFFICENCY & SUSTAINABLITY
• Energy focus by most is interior centric, target easy payback
• TRUE SUSTAINABLE program is a WHOLISTIC APPROACH
• Both INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR must be considered
• TREMCO UNDERSTANDS and can do both
1. Roof / BE Asset
Management
2. Maintenance Programs
3. Sustainable Systems
4. Cool Roof Calculations
5. Air Leakage with true energy
efficiency rate of return
payback
Importance of Air Barrier Continuity
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Energy Efficiency
Health
Safety
Durability
Comfort
Uncontrolled Air Leakage
 Defined as uncontrolled migration of
conditioned air through the building
envelope
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Costly to heat and air condition
Drafty and uncomfortable
Poor indoor air quality
Increased building deterioration
Occupant complaints
Diagnosing the Problem
 Building envelope
assessment
 Depressurization testing
 Locate air leakage
 Infrared thermography
Sealing the Pathways
 Top
 Roof/wall intersections, mechanical,
penthouse doors/walls, HVAC, roof
penetrations
 Bottom
 Exhaust/intake vents, soffits/ground
floor access doors, service penetrations,
core wall to floor slab
 Vertical shafts
 Stairwell fire doors; fire hose cabinets;
plumbing, electrical, cable and other
penetrations within service rooms;
elevator rooms; garbage chute perimeter
and access hatches; hallway
pressurization grill perimeters
Sealing the Pathways
 Outside walls and openings

Weatherstrip windows, doors, including
balcony/patio doors and seal window
trim; exhaust fans and ducting; service
penetrations; baseboard heaters;
electrical receptacles; baseboards
 Compartmentalization
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Vented mechanical rooms; garbage
compactor room; emergency generator
room; high voltage rooms; shipping
docks; elevator rooms; workshops
Benefits of Air Barrier Retrofit
 Controls movement of air into and out of the
building
 Reduces heat loss
 Reduces dust, mold and pollutants in the
building
 Reduces noise and odors
 Reduces condensation, mold and mildew
 Improves overall building envelope and
building performance
Benefits of Air Barrier Retrofit
 “Continuous air barrier systems can reduce
air infiltration by more than 60 percent
and energy consumption to the building
envelope by 40 percent compared to
buildings typical air leakage.”
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST),
Investigation of the Impact of Commercial Building
Envelope Airtightness on HVAC Energy Use
 Rule of thumb - .10 per square foot average savings annually.