IAQ

Over the past few years there have been advances in sensing of some pollutants, primarily particles, that might lead to ventilation controls based on direct sensing of pollutants – particularly those relating to health. In this study we evaluated low-cost (about $200 US) IAQ monitors that measured PM2.5 - the most important health-related pollutant in indoor air. Controlled laboratory tests were carried out with known sources of particles (cooking, cleaning, candles, cigarettes) and by comparing the IAQ monitors response to research-grade and reference measurement methods.

The difficulty in measuring IAQ indicators like VOCs and particles, lies in the multiplicity of the composition of these pollutants. Analysis of the responses of some low cost IAQ sensors when subjected to real sources of pollution shows that they do not react homogeneously, due to their sensitivity and post-treatments. These sensors can be used by consumers to understand the effect of their actions on the evolution of IAQ indicators, not to rely directly on the values displayed.

The recent development of affordable and quite accurate temperature sensors and Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) sensors has led to a growing interest in continuous indoor climate monitoring. Not just amongst scientists and engineers but also amongst building owners, developers and e.g. architects interested in boosting our buildings’ health and comfort qualities.

The early design stage of a building is decisive for describing the concept of the HVAC system. Designers and practitioners can adjust and optimize the design during this stage as it provides them with enough resilience to adapt new changes. In practice, a well-defined optimization process is essentially required in order to achieve the project’s goals within a reasonable time span. These goals vary from one project to another, and sometimes they require a comprehensive study to identify the factual and stochastic parameters and their impact on the design.

Surface condensation risk is a fact that has to be dealt with when buildings are airtight. Airtight buildings with lower ventilation rates are the result of applying energy saving policies and criteria. Surface condensation risk depends greatly on the ventilation rates, as well as on another factors such as generation of water vapour, climate, envelope components and U value, etc.