Airtightness Characteristics of Electrically Heated Houses in the Residential Standards Demonstration Program

This paper examines airtightness data from 623 electrically heated residential buildings in the Pacific Northwest. The Residential Standards Demonstration Program (RSDP) was designed to demonstrate the merits of energy-efficient construction techniques. The control houses were intended to be representative of current construction practice in the four-state region (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington). The Model Conservation Standards (MCS) houses incorporated energy efficiency features including measures to reduce air infiltration and provide ventilation with heat recovery. The RSDP houses were primarily built in 1984 and monitored in the 1985-1986 heating season.