Passive House Level of Air Tightness with just Drywall?

Video 5 - Welcome to this interesting TH-cam video showcasing a near passive house, boasting an impressive ACH@50Pa score of 1.3! This home which was apart of Sustainability Victoria's 7 Star home program kicks off with an extensive interior tour of the property which is designed with a unique approach to air-tightness. Rather than using common construction wraps, this house is sealed with drywall, an innovation that has left many viewers fascinated. Due to the temperate location this home was built in a vapour retarding barrier was not necessary for managing moisture. Remember, the majority of moisture that moves into wall systems occurs via air leakage.
This video shares insights into the challenges and benefits of using plasterboard(drywall) as the air barrier, explaining how meticulous work and paying attention to details resulted in a seamless level of air-tightness.
Energy-efficient homes can provide homeowners with:
 better quality homes that are naturally more comfortable in winter and summer.
 significantly lower energy bills; and,
 significantly reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Homes can be tested to ensure it is built to meet the designed energy efficiency standard by using:
 blower door tests; this test uses fans to simulate wind blowing against the building’s exterior to identify air leakages in the building’s envelope.
 Thermal imaging; this is used in conjunction with the blower door testing to locate missing or poorly installed insulation that may result in the movement of warm or cool air in and out of the building.
Independently testing and inspecting each home confirms compliance to the designed quality of energy efficiency inclusions.
Playlist of first 3 videos produced in collaboration with Sustainability Victoria
• Sustainability Victori...
www.sustainability.vic.gov.au...
#7starhomesprogram
#efficiencymatrix
#buildingperformance
Producer: John Konstantakopoulos
Presenters: Mark Pohlner

[@Whisky_Four-Three]

Would like to see fuller version of this show that drills down into air handling, moisture control and possible condensation locations, insulation levels. I feel this just is just titillation around a complex issue to a lot of people. I say this as I don’t think this is aimed at professional folk.

[@ecoevo]

Well, the majority of moisture movement into walls occurs via air leakage, not the vapour permeability of the material itself. This building has been very well insulated and thermal bridges have been mitigated as cost effectively as possible. We discuss these topics in this video.

[@knowname7289]

3:53 yup That Frenchy is correct Aust. housing quality if p..s poor and almost every new build is, being very kind, shoddy at best and the quality of the work even worse

[@KJSvitko]

An energy efficient home or business is more comfortable and saves money in the long run.
Solar energy on your roof combined with battery storage can make people more independent from the grid and natural gas supplies. Add solar and supplemental electric heating or a heat pump for home heating..
Added insulation, triple glaze windows, energy efficient doors, energy efficient heating and cooling systems, energy efficient appliances, LED lighting, smart thermostats, solar panels combined with battery storage and a electric vehicle charger in the garage or car park. People are too focused on the short term costs and miss out on long term savings and comfort. Blower door testing and air sealing are under appreciated tools.Even if you have money to burn you should not waste it. Climate Change will impact everyone. Leave a better future for your children and grandchildren. Join in and speak up for the future of the planet.

[@KJSvitko]

Every home and business should install a rain water collection and storage system along with solar panels.
Even in areas where rain is infrequent it is crazy to waste the little rain that does fall and waste it.
We need to stop planting green lawns and switch to local native plantings around homes.
It is crazy to plant lawns and build golf courses in dry desert areas. We waste too much water and electricity.

[@drewens]

Thanks for sharing this. We're also using plaster as the air barrier. I noticed a few sliding doors. Are they lift and slide (i.e. More airtight)? Or standard?

[@lucasthijssen9844]

You all focus on insulation to protect against cold weather. You should also consider protection against warm weather and this you cannot reach only by insulating your building with low density material. There are other materials to use which are optimal for both warm and cold weather insulation. You should talk of roof phase shift in terms of hours of delay and damping factor (I think this is the English word). You also need to talk of internal aerial capacity. Without these values, it is difficult to judge the level of comfort of the house.
In Italy, a good insulated home will have an insulation of 0.1-0.2 W/m2/K, a phase shift of more than 16 hours, damping factor less than 5%, and an aerial internal capacity of at least 40 kJ/M2/K. Refer also to UNI EN ISO 13786

[@jacobburgin826]

Are there any services to draw on here in Brisbane? I'm blown away by how inefficient homes are thanks to your channel.

[@ecoevo]

Google air tightness testing services in Brisbane.

[@jpeterstme]

Impressive result for the Ach50 but in the video you show photos that have the proctor wrap installed in the ceiling cavity prior to the plaster board installed. I don’t know why you are clamming that the plaster board is the airtight layer. It’s obvious that the proctor wrap is the airtight membrane and hence the air tight layer. Can you please clarify this as some of the viewers might get the wrong idea that such an airtight house is possible without an airtight membrane.

[@dulnaperera-cameron8700]

Keen to know this too and info about other material. Do they have a HRV? If not, at 1.3 ACH, is that a healthy/ good idea for moisture management?

[@ecoevo]

@dulnaperera-cameron8700 Not sure if you can manage moisture with random air leaks around your home, to be honest. Watch the video and you may find out if it has a Hrv. ☺️

[@ecoevo]

Such a great level of air tightness is possible with just plaster. You’ll notice in some areas of this video there is smartvap on the ceiling which is sealed to the plasterboard.

[@jpeterstme]

If the primary airtight layer is the plaster then what is the purpose of the proctor smart wrap?

[@ecoevo]

@jpeterstme in false ceilings to accomodate the Hrv ducting. The Hrv ductwork has been design to always be inside the building fabric.

[@iteerrex8166]

Designing a beautiful, functional, airtight, energy efficient, comfortable building is of course very important. It’s also very crucial for it to be a healthy environment. Was there any consideration with respect to the VOC’s within the building? Often people neglect this aspect.

[@iteerrex8166]

Ok, no reply.

[@ecoevo]

We don’t know. Sorry. We just assisted with the building fabric, we are unaware of what paints were used, and anything else that may emit VOC’s. This video was produced to show that plaster, when installed with care can be made decently air tight.

[@iteerrex8166]

@@ecoevo Ah, cool. Thank you.