In 2006, the Building Regulations set out a minimum requirement for airtightness to ensure that these standards are met it is compulsory to subject samples of newly built dwellings to a pressure test in order to measure and confirm airtightness on completion.

Poor airtightness can be responsible for up to 40% of heat loss from buildings. Recent revisions to Building Regulations Part L, and the application of the Code for Sustainable Homes, will encourage even lower CO₂ emission rates and therefore higher standards of airtightness.

Targets
A target to achieve a 25% reduction in CO2 emissions from homes from 2010 (Code Level 3) may require an airtightness standard of around 3 m3/h.m2 at 50 Pa.

A target for zero carbon homes (Code Level 6) for 2016 will require dwellings to achieve airtightness levels better than 3 m3/h.m2 at 50 Pa and approaching 1 m3/h.m2 at 50 Pa. The target for Passive House construction is 0.6 m3/h.m2 at 50 Pa

When building a home with a bid to achieve high levels of airtightness, the energy needed for heating will reduce, whilst the need for ventilation will increase. It is important, therefore, to specify the right products that will allow for both these factors.