As one of its earliest activities, a home building research and development (RandD) consortium developed improved methods of home construction. In developing the technical package for these houses, it was realised that constructing a test model would be valuable. Furthermore, it was felt that it would be most valuable if a comparable "baseline" house of standard construction could be constructed immediately adjacent to the test model. This has been done in suburban Pittsburgh. Two versions of a new builders model have been built. Lab house A represents a standard baseline type of construction including comfort conditioning and ventilation systems. Lab house B incorporates improvements in every aspect of the house-shell; heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC); plumbing; electrical system; partitioning; and finishes. The two houses have served as excellent side-by-side research tools. As part of a comprehensive research programme, a number of projects have been conducted for the testing, and evaluation of performance related to ventilation issues. In total, this testing and evaluation programme builds a picture of many of the attributes of house performance that contribute to a well-functioning ventilation system.

KEYWORDS: year 1997, Ventilation, calculating, testing, research, housing, comparing, performance, low energy housing, air tightness, air distribution, pressure difference, monitoring, air quality, indoor, room temperature, dehumidifying, pressurisation, temperature stratification, measuring, USA