Airtightness, Ventilation, and Energy Consumption in a Manufactured House: Pre-Retrofit Results

A retrofit study is being conducted to investigate the airtightness, ventilation and energy impacts of tightening the exterior envelope and the heating and air conditioning system ductwork of a double section manufactured house. This report describes the results of the pre-retrofit assessment of building airtightness, ventilation, and energy consumption under both heating and cooling conditions. Measurements of building envelope airtightness and duct leakage were made using fan pressurization. Air change rates were measured continuously using the tracer gas decay technique. Energy consumption was monitored through measurement of gas consumption by the forced-air furnace for heating and electricity use by the air-conditioning system for cooling. After the pre-retrofit data collection was finished, the house underwent retrofits to tighten the building envelope and to reduce ventilation system duct leakage. After completion of the retrofits, post-retrofit data was collected. This report presents the results of the pre-retrofit measurements and a description of the retrofits.