The Infiltration Station: Air Leaks in a 1924 House in Downtown Eugene

Infiltration is a common source of heat loss, especially in older homes. This case study focused on a 1924 house in the downtown Eugene area. Infiltration in this home is excessive due to a basement door left open at all times, a fireplace lacking a damper, and vents left over from a defunct oil heater. We hypothesized that sealing these large leaks would reduce the infiltration by 50%. A blower door was used to test this hypothesis. The blower door was also used to identify additional air leaks after the implementation of solutions. This study found that these improvements reduced the infiltration by 43% and that the greatest contributor, by far, was the door left open to the basement. Further analysis revealed that this reduction in infiltration could lead to cost savings of up to $60 in a winter month.