Lodgement Fees

Here are some examples and explanation. 

For the different fee levels, an easy way to distinguish is: ATTMA Level 1 test = $15; ATTMA Level 2 test = $50. That is single-zone, single fan tests of volumes less than 4000 m3 = $15. Multi-fan tests or tests on volumes larger than 4000 m3 = $50. 

Fees are charged once per “plot”, not once per each test of the same plot. For example, a Passive House project may actually have five tests done over its timeline. A fee is only charged once for this single address, on the first test Lodged. Subsequent tests of the same building will be filed, and the final test or re-test certificate can be obtained, but the fee will still be only $15 for this test. Positive and negative pressure test results can be reported on the same Lodgement certificate and the cost is still $15. 

Another way to think of it is, how many separate results are being verified; i.e. how many certificates are being requested? For example, a residential development may have fourteen houses with a project specification that all must pass a threshold. Each house needs its own certificate to show that it passes, which means fourteen certificates and fourteen Lodgement fees. In this example, that is 14 x $15 = $210 for the whole development. 

A different example is a very large and complex building that has only one specified Design Air Permeability for the whole building. Results from four large tests may be prorated over whole building for the different assembly types, but there is only one final number and one specification that must be demonstrated. In this case, four tests on the same building still incur only one Lodgement fee = $50. 

Imperfect Tests

Regarding comments about imperfect tests, you must always be testing with enough equipment to reach 50 Pascals at the Design Air Permeability for a project. That is an ATTMA requirement. If you used enough equipment but still did not reach 50 Pascals because the project did not reach the Design Air Permeability, that is not the fault of the tester. You should still file the test even if it is deemed “noncompliant.” An imperfect test result that is reported is more useful and informative to the industry than a test result that is never reported.