Journal of Korean Institute of Architectural Sustainable Environment and Building Systems 한국건축친환경설비학회논문집 ISSN:1976-6483(Print) 2586-0666(Online)

Increased regulation of the energy performance of buildings is driving the need to improve the energy performance of existing buildings. Airtightness is analyzed as an effective factor for improving energy performance, but it is not widely applied due to the lack of standards and related regulations. To evaluate the impact of airtightness on improving energy performance, this study analyzed the energy demand and primary energy consumption caused by the difference between the required airtightness value and the measured airtightness value. Airtightness performance was measured in small, aging public rental housing units that are prioritized for policy support. The impact of airtightness was conducted through energy performance evaluation and analyzed in two parts: the energy saving rate of airtightness among energy performance improvement factors and the energy saving rate that can be improved by enhanced airtightness standards. The results showed that improving airtightness is effective in reducing energy consumption in older buildings, especially when the enhanced airtightness standard is applied to improve the energy performance of old buildings, the energy saving rate is nearly double compared to the current efficiency.