AIVC

The report begins by reviewing some basic questions about ventilation efficiency. The subject is then presented in greater detail and finally an example of the prediction of ventilation efficiency in an office enclosure is given. Emphasis is given to the range of applicability and limitations of ventilation efficiency methods.

The impact of ventilation on energy use can be considerable. Total building energy use is variously estimated to account for 30% of all energy consumed in International Energy Agency countries. Of this, as much as 50% can be associated with ventilation and air infiltration. As living standards throughout the world improve, it may be expected that building occupants will demand ever-increasing standards of comfort. This will inevitably result in increased demand on building energy use and further heighten concerns over global pollution.

The glossary provides the definition of 250 terms related to air infiltration and ventilation. The intention of the document is to promote a more uniform use of terms in the area of ventilation.
The Glossary consists of main terms with definitions followed by any subsidiary terms. The main terms are in alphabetic order.
The basic entry has the following format:
Minimum Ventilation Requirement

Increased health standards and the need to save energy in colder climates caused residential buildings to advance to the modern airtight and well-insulated dwellings we have today. In these dwellings ventilation has become a dominant factor, both from an indoor air quality and an energy conservation point of view. This situation asks for consciousness on the part of applied ventilation systems. The report presents a review on present and advanced systems for basic ventilation and notes possible trends.

This handbook gives a comprehensive explanation of the theoretical and practical aspects of measuring important parameters for understanding air infiltration and ventilation within buildings. Discussed parameters include: airtightness of the building envelope and its component leakage paths; air exchange rates within a building and with the external environment; efficiency of the ventilation system; flow rates in the ventilation network. It has been designed so that material suited to differing levels of expertise is readily accessible.

Considerable developments in the area of computational fluid dynamics are currently taking place, especially in relation to refinements in calculation techniques. The objective of this report is to outline developments in building airflow analysis and to focus on some of the difficulties associated with this complex field of study. These include a brief synthesis of the relevant flow equations, the results of the AIVC's survey into the application of airflow codes for building airflow simulation, and summaries of selected public domain and commercial general purpose algorithms.

One of the aims of the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre is to encourage the collection and dissemination of air infiltration and airflow data as well as energy use data arising from programmes of research and experimental investigation. This task can be made much easier and more effective if the relevant test information and results are presented in a comprehensive and uniform manner.