A methodology to assess the IAQ performances of ventilation systems in residential buildings.

Until now, there is no widely accepted way to express any index for this purpose and taking into account the large variety of possible pollutants. Things can be simplified if the aim is to compare different systems and strategies rather than to give an absolute value of quality. For the study of a pollutant source, the main important point for comparison is the pattern of its production, whatever this pollutant is. The detailed data for each inhabitant is the curve of the number of hours above a pollutant level concentration Ci: Nh (Ci). A condensed one is calculated as the cumulated value above a threshold limit Cimax. This is the basis for the results presented here. Other parameters are also calculated as pressure difference between outdoor and indoor, room related parameters (humidity, condensation hazards), and energy parameters (heat needs and fan energy). This methodology was defined and used in the framework of IEA annex 27 "domestic ventilation".