Airtightness Testing in Dublin 4
Blower-door testing that measures how much heat your home leaks through gaps, and shows exactly where. Covering Donnybrook, Sandymount, Ballsbridge and the surrounding area.
Airtightness Testing for Dublin 4 homes
Large period homes on Ailesbury and Shrewsbury Road and the red-brick terraces of Sandymount and Donnybrook are among the leakiest homes we test, because of their size, high ceilings, sash windows, open chimneys and suspended floors. With most of the area protected or in conservation areas, airtightness is often the main lever available, and measures such as sash draught-stripping, floor sealing and chimney dampers change nothing visible. Modern apartments and townhouses toward the docklands are tested mainly to check ventilation is working properly.
How homes in Dublin 4 lose heat
Large period homes have high ceilings, big sash windows, solid walls and suspended floors, so their heating demand is high and BERs of E to G are common despite good maintenance. Sandymount homes near the strand are also exposed to sea wind. Modern apartments mainly benefit from airtightness and ventilation checks.
Typical housing: Victorian and Edwardian red-brick terraces in Donnybrook, Sandymount and Sydney Parade, larger period semis and detached homes on Ailesbury and Shrewsbury, and modern apartments and townhouses toward the docklands.
How airtightness testing works
An airtightness test pressurises or depressurises your home with a calibrated blower-door fan fitted into an external doorway. By measuring how much air the fan has to move to hold the pressure difference, we can put a number on how leaky the house is, expressed as air changes per hour or cubic metres per hour per square metre of envelope.
Airtightness Testing in Dublin 4: questions
Do you carry out airtightness testing in Dublin 4?
Yes. We cover Dublin 4 and the surrounding Dublin area, including Donnybrook, Sandymount, Ballsbridge. Victorian and Edwardian red-brick terraces in Donnybrook, Sandymount and Sydney Parade, larger period semis and detached homes on Ailesbury and Shrewsbury, and modern apartments and townhouses toward the docklands.
Is there a grant for airtightness testing in Dublin 4?
Airtightness work carries a €1,000 SEAI grant when it is part of a home upgrade through an SEAI One Stop Shop. We can advise whether that route suits your project. Grant amounts are set nationally by SEAI and change from time to time, so check seai.ie before applying. We confirm what your home is likely to qualify for during the survey.
What does an airtightness test involve?
A calibrated fan is fitted into an external door frame and used to pressurise or depressurise the house. The fan measures how much air is needed to hold the pressure, which gives the leakage rate. We then trace where the air is getting in with smoke and, where useful, a thermal camera.
Do I need to prepare my home?
Close external windows and doors, leave internal doors open, and make sure we can reach the attic hatch. Fires and stoves need to be out and cold. Allow two to three hours for a typical house.
Can a house be too airtight?
A house can be airtight without being stuffy, as long as ventilation is planned. Airtightness controls uncontrolled draughts; ventilation then supplies fresh air where and when it is needed. We advise on ventilation whenever a test shows the house is getting tighter.
Is an airtightness test needed for a heat pump?
Heat pumps work best in well-sealed, well-insulated homes, and many retrofit projects measure airtightness before and after the works. A test tells you whether draught-proofing is needed before a heat pump goes in.
Book a free survey in Dublin 4.
We cover Dublin 4 and the surrounding area. Tell us about your home and we will arrange a visit, usually within a week.