DC-83-04-2 -- Development of the Air Infiltration Model for the Energy Performance Design System PDF

The Energy Performance Design System (EPDS) is a simplified procedure for energy analysis which is based on extensive field testing, laboratory experiments, and computer modeling. The objective of the EPDS is to provide a simple procedure for designing and evaluating the performance of energy-efficient homes. Air infiltration is a major component of energy consumption in residences, and this paper describes the development of the simplified air infiltration model used in EPDS.
The starting point for the model development was a series of field studies on air infiltration conducted between 1978 and 1981. These studies included pressurization tests on 57 central Ohio residences, in addition to natural infiltration measurements on three unoccupied ranch-style homes and three unoccupied double-wide mobile homes using tracer-gas techniques. The results of these experiments were reduced to a simplified model based on the concept of leakage area.