The purpose of this project was to determine the envelope air leakage reduction that could be achieved by substituting housewrap for building paper in new California production houses. California houses were expected to have lower potential for leakage reduction than those in other geographical areas due to a combination of factors, including the prevalence of stucco cladding, slab-on-grade construction, and single-story design. The infiltration leakage area of four pairs of new California production homes built by one builder in 1996 and 1997 were measured. Each pair consisted of two of the builder's standard models, with one house wrapped with a spun-bonded polyolefin housewrap and the other house wrapped with two layers of grade D building paper. The HVAC ducts and ceiling light fixtures were sealed to reduce differences between houses not due to the housewrap. A computer-controlled blower door was used to provide high-precision leakage measurements. The tests indicate that replacement of the two layers of building paper with the housewrap reduced the specific leakage area (SLA) in the four houses by 7% to 18%, with an average reduction of 13%.

Authors: Bruce A. Wilcox, P.E.; Theresa A. Weston, Ph.D.

Citation: Thermal Performance of the Exterior Envelopes of Buildings VIII

Keywords: December, Florida, 2001