On ventilation needs - towards demand controlled ventilation in dwellings.

Ventilation needs in dwellings must be determined on the basis of both requirements to theindoor air quality and necessary control of moisture conditions. As a first step towardsdevelopment of energy efficient ventilation strategies for demand controlled ventilation infuture dwellings theoretical analyses comprising a literature study and mathematicalsimulations have been carried out. In view of the provisions in the current Danish BuildingRegulations and based on existing knowledge on contaminants and contaminant sources in theindoor climate, the humidity conditions are regarded as determining for the ventilationrequirements in future dwellings. The mathematical simulations indicate that the basicventilation in a typical apartment under normal use can be reduced by 20-30 percentcompared with provisions in current building regulations without compromising the indoorclimate. Thus, through a suitable control of the ventilation on average energy savings can beachieved on the energy consumption for ventilation in multi-storey buildings.