Assessment of Indoor Air Quality in Residential Buildings of New England through Actual Data

Fernando del Ama Gonzalo,Jacob Laskosky,Matthew Griffin,Peter Yost,Roberto Alonso González-Lezcano

doi:10.3390/su14020739

Fernando del Ama Gonzalo, Jacob Laskosky + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/su14020739

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Abstract

Several studies on indoor air quality (IAQ) and sick building syndromes have been completed over the last decade, especially in cold countries. Efforts to make homes airtight to improve energy efficiency have created buildings with low ventilation rates, resulting in the build-up of indoor pollutants to harmful levels that would be otherwise unacceptable outdoors. This paper analyzed the infiltration rates, indoor temperatures, and variations in CO2, 2.5 μm particulate matter (PM2.5), and total volatile organic compound (TVOC) concentrations over the fall of 2021 in several homes in New England, USA. A relationship between outdoor and indoor conditions and ventilation strategies has been set using the results from blower door tests and actual indoor air quality data. Although all case studies lacked mechanical ventilation devices, such as those required by ASHRAE Standard 62.2, natural ventilation and air leakage have been enough to keep VOCs and PM2.5 concentration levels at acceptable values most of the studied time. However, results revealed that 25% of a specific timeframe, the occupants have been exposed to concentration levels of CO2 above 1000 parts per million (ppm), which are considered potentially hazardous conditions.

Highlights

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is determined by the presence of pollutants and thermalhumidity conditions in the indoor environment that may negatively affect building occupants’ health, comfort, and performance [1]
Building volumes were used as size scaling to provide air changes per hour (ACH) at 50 Pa, which is a suitable magnitude for detached single-family houses
ASHRAE standards have tested houses to assess the amount of exterior air infiltration and the influence of infiltrabeen to determine the required amount of natural ventilation

Summary

Introduction

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is determined by the presence of pollutants and thermalhumidity conditions in the indoor environment that may negatively affect building occupants’ health, comfort, and performance [1]. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is one of the essential criteria for evaluating the quality of a building, according to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency [2]. At increased concentrations and exposure times, these pollutants harm users’ health. Several studies performed on indoor air quality (IAQ) have shown that the number of people present in a room, physical activities, and combustion of solid fuels raise carbon dioxide levels [3]. After implementing energy retrofits, which are mainly focused on improving the thermal parameters of the building envelope, the concentration of CO2 in the indoor environment increases [4].

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