A kitchen is one of the major moisture producing areas in a dwelling. In order to prevent condensation and mould growth the relative humidity should not be too high. This paper describes a set of experiments comparing methods of kitchen ventilation and their effectiveness at moisture removal. The three methods of extract ventilation were: 1. A mechanical extract fan of extract rate 60 l/s 2. A passive stack ventilation system 3.
A possible alternative to mechanical extract ventilation for kitchens and bathrooms is passive stack ventilation (PSV). BRE has carried out work on this type of system in a test house under controlled conditions. To find out how well they worked in practice, four occupied dwellings were monitored over a period of 2 - 3 weeks each. Each dwelling had two ventilation ducts. Air flow rates within the ventilation ducts were measured, together with humidities, temperatures and climatological data.
The Dutch "E'novation" program is a national demonstration program in which dwellings with high energy consumption, moisture and mould problems and poor indoor air quality were renovated, with special attention to the selection of the heating and ventilation systems, thermal insulation and the buildings' physical details. A number of indoor air quality parameters were monitored before and after renovation, showing an important improvement in the indoor air quality. Moreover, total energy consumption decreased by 33%, which meets the targets of the Dutch National Environment Policy.
The causative agent of Legionnaires' disease is the bacterium Legionella pneumophila (Lp). This organism is just one species of the genus Legionel/a. To date more than 36 species of Legionella have been isolated and these are being further divided into serogroups and subgroups. Approximately 90% of cases of Legionnaires' disease have been associated with· Lp serogroup 1, subgroup Pontiac. However about half of the known species of Legionel/a have caused serious disease and several fatalities in man.
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