Abstract
Weatherization of residential homes is a widespread procedure to retrofit older homes to improve the energy efficiency by reducing building leakage. Several studies have evaluated the effect of weatherization on indoor pollutants, such as formaldehyde, radon, and indoor particulates, but few studies have evaluated the effect of weatherization on indoor microbial exposure. Here, we monitored indoor pollutants and bacterial communities during reductions in building leakage for weatherized single-family residential homes in New York State and compared the data to non-weatherized homes. Nine weatherized and eleven non-weatherized single-family homes in Tompkins County, New York were sampled twice: before and after the weatherization procedures for case homes, and at least 3 months apart for control homes that were not weatherized. We found that weatherization efforts led to a significant increase in radon levels, a shift in indoor microbial community, and a warmer and less humid indoor environment. In addition, we found that changes in indoor airborne bacterial load after weatherization were more sensitive to shifts in season, whereas indoor radon levels were more sensitive to ventilation rates.
Highlights
Twenty-two percent of the total U.S energy consumption is used in residential buildings, mainly to heat and cool homes [1]
Included in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) was the creation of the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) by the Department of Energy [4]
This study was conducted in Tompkins County, NY, which is an area of approximately 100,000 inhabitants located in the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) Climate Zone 5A
Summary
Twenty-two percent of the total U.S energy consumption is used in residential buildings, mainly to heat and cool homes [1]. Since the energy crisis of the 1970s, national policy discussions have been held on energy efficiency and energy conservation [2]. This led to the establishment of building energy codes such as the 1975 ASHRAE Energy Code and the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) [3]. Included in the EPCA was the creation of the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) by the Department of Energy [4]. Weatherization is the practice of protecting a building from environmental fluctuations to reduce energy consumption in the building by air sealing and insulation of the home (only air sealing reduces the air leakage of a building). WAP provides financial assistance to low-income households in single-
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