| 0.1 L/(sām2) |
0.1 Litres per second per metre squared = Code requirement for the acceptable amount of air that can get through a material being used as a barrier. This test is done with air pressure (75 Pa) in a lab. (Reference: NBC 9.25.5 Properties and Position of Materials in the Building Envelope) |
| 50 and 75 Pa |
Pascals, a measure of air pressure on a surface that imitates a strong wind. |
| ACH |
Air Changes per Hour |
| Assemblies |
Construction for specific parts of a building - e.g. wall assembly = drywall, vapour retarder, insulation, studs, exterior sheeting, etc. |
| ASHRAE |
American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (an international standards and testing organization) |
| Conditioned Space |
The inside of the building that you're ventilating, heating or cooling. |
| ERV |
Energy Recovery Ventilator - fresh air machine that also moderates humidity. |
| HRV |
Heat Recovery Ventilator - fresh air machine that exchanges heat energy from outgoing exhaust air with incoming fresh air supply. |
| HVAC |
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning = the mechanical system responsible for conditioning an indoor space. |
| IAQ |
Indoor Air Quality = The quality of fresh air in a building. Expressed as ratio of how much of a pollutant, particle or gas makes up a volume of air. |
| Infiltration / Exfiltration |
Air leakage into and out of a building, respectively. |
| NBC |
National Building Code of Canada |
| NECB |
National Energy Code for Buildings
|
| NL / NLR / NLA |
Normalized Leakage / Normalized Leakage Rate / Normalized Leakage Area = a measurement of the airtightness of a building, relative to its size and number of stories. Often expressed as, "Your leakage rate would be like having an X by X sized hole in the building envelope". Defined in ASHRAE Standard 119. |