Climate-based analysis of residential ventilation systems.

A study has been undertaken to (1) evaluate airtightness in recent construction dwellings in New York State, (2) evaluate the effectiveness of various strategies in providing adequate ventilation, and (3) study the use of various ventilation options by residential builders and heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) contractors. Ventilation provided by infiltration and installed mechanical ventilation systems was analyzed in 97 New York post-1980 single-family dwellings, including 50 houses built to recent building standards (control houses) and 47 houses constructed to standards set by NYSE-Star, an energy-efficient residential building program. These houses were analyzed using RESVENT, which incorporates the LBL infiltration model and the ASHRAE Standard 136 air change rate calculation methodology. Based on the building characteristics of these houses and those of other data sets of U.S. residential buildings, quantitative descriptions of prototypical houses were developed to be used in evaluating the effectiveness of ventilation strategies. COMIS, a multizone air flow model, was used to evaluate hourly air change rates of a base case and three mechanical ventilation strategies in Buffalo, New York. Results of a survey of residential builders and HVAC contractors are presented. The survey explored the use of various residential ventilation strategies in New York State, the frequency of information requests from homeowners and developers regarding ventilation systems, comfort and health issues, and the influence of various factors on decisions about installing ventilation strategies.