Mechanical ventilation and indoor air quality in recently constructed U.S. homes in marine and cold-dry climates

Antonopoulos, Chrissi A.; Rosenberg, Samuel I.; Zhao, Haoran; Walker, Iain S.; Delp, William W.; Chan, Wanyu Rengie; Singer, Brett Craig

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.110480

Mechanical ventilation and indoor air quality in recently constructed U.S. homes in marine and cold-dry climates

Journal Article · Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Building and Environment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2023.110480· OSTI ID:2323336

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Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Data were collected to characterize whole-house mechanical ventilation (WHMV) and indoor air quality (IAQ) in 55 homes in the Marine climate of Oregon and the Cold-Dry climate of Colorado in the U.S. Sixteen homes were monitored for two weeks, with and without WHMV operating. Ventilation airflows; airtightness; time-resolved CO₂, PM2.5 and radon; and time-integrated NO₂, NO_X and formaldehyde were measured. Participants provided information about IAQ-impacting activities, perceptions and ventilation use. All homes had operational cooktop ventilation and bathroom exhaust. Thirty homes had equipment that could meet the ASHRAE 62.2–2010 standard with continuous or controlled runtime and 34 had some WHMV operating as found. Thirty-five of 46 participants with WHMV reported they did not know how to operate it, and only half of the systems were properly labeled. Two-week homes had lower formaldehyde, radon, CO₂ and NO (NO_X-NO₂) when operated with WHMV, and had faster PM_2.5 decays following indoor emission events. Overall IAQ satisfaction was similar in Oregon and Colorado, but more Colorado participants (19% vs 3%) felt their IAQ could be improved and more reported dryness as a problem (58% vs. 14%). The collected data indicate that there are benefits of operating WHMV, even when continuous use may not be needed because outdoor pollutant concentrations are low and indoor sources do not present substantial challenges.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Energy Efficiency Office. Building Technologies Office

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231; AC05-76RL01830

OSTI ID:: 2323336

Report Number(s):: PNNL-SA--184132

Journal Information:: Building and Environment, Journal Name: Building and Environment Vol. 245; ISSN 0360-1323

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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