Airtightness is set to become a prominent component of the 2020 National Building Code of Canada.
One of the biggest components of the 2020 National Building Code of Canada is the implementation of airtightness testing. This change is big news for the construction industry. But what exactly is airtightness, how do you test it, and how do ICE Panels fit in?
Primarily, the concept of Airtightness focuses on eliminating any and all openings or cracks in the exterior building envelope of a building that would compromise the efficiency of the building. Ensuring your building is airtight provides a healthy, comfortable, and energy efficient environment.
Airtightness becoming a key feature of the 2020 National Building Code of Canada will create opportunities for provinces and territories to deliver on the development of all homes being net zero by 2032, and with ICE Panels being airtight, Greenstone can easily help achieve this goal.
An airtightness test measures how much air is leaking into or out of a building and shows specifically where this is happening. This is also referred to as a “blower door test” because it uses a large fan to blow air in and out of the building. The benefit of an airtightness test is that it ensures that the inhabitants of the home are living in an energy efficient and comfortable environment. This test will also check for any moisture leaking into wall cavities, creating unwanted mould and mildew. Specifying a target for airtightness and testing for it is a vital step in creating high-performance homes.
Airtightness is set to become a key feature of the 2020 NBCC. In previous years, there wasn’t a specific airtightness level noted in the building codes, so without a minimum performance indicated, performing airtightness testing wasn’t something builders were able to comply with. This is not the case with NBCC 2020, with a testing procedure and performance value being introduced into all tiers of the National Building Code. In all tiers, air leakage rates are provided in various metrics such as Air Changes Per Hour, Normalized Leakage Area and Normalized Flow Rate. This will offer builders with solid flexibility to use a metric that will work nicely with the type and size of their construction project.
How do ICE Panels help achieve airtightness goals? ICE Panels are manufactured using a closed-cell insulation called Expanded Polystyrene (EPS). The EPS provides an air barrier with very low moisture vapour penetrability, and excellent resistance to water. When the panel joints are sealed on-site using a proper non-permeable membrane, it becomes very difficult for air to move through the wall assembly, creating a highly airtight building. This will result in a comfortable living environment with low energy usage.
Airtightness becoming a key feature of the 2020 National Building Code of Canada will create opportunities for provinces and territories to deliver on the development of all homes being net zero by 2032, and with ICE Panels being airtight, Greenstone can easily help achieve this goal.
Interested in building with ICE Panels? Let’s chat! Give us a call at 204-726-1426 or send us an email at sales@gsbp.ca.
