indoor pollutants

Portable air cleaners have demonstrated their effectiveness in reducing indoor PM concentrations. Common rating systems assume the air cleaner is in a room having limited air exchange with ambient air and the rest of the building. In this analysis, we model conditions in which people operate air cleaners in rooms with some natural ventilation. METHODS: A simplified mass balance model was developed for a 50 m3 room within a 350 m3 home, assuming well-mixed spaces, homogeneous infiltration, and applying the LBLX ventilation model.

In order to achieve nearly net zero energy use, both new and energy refurbished existing buildings will in the future need to be still more efficient and optimized. Since such buildings can be expected to be already well insulated, airtight, and have heat recovery systems installed, one of the next focal points to limiting energy consumption for thermally conditioning the indoor environment will be to possibly reducing the ventilation rate, or making it in a new way demand controlled. However, this must be done such that it does not have adverse effects on indoor air quality (IAQ).

Both new and renovated existing buildings will in the future need to be optimized in such a way that can achieve to have nearly no energy use while still providing impeccable indoor climates. Since such buildings can already be assumed to be very well insulated, airtight, and to be equipped with heat recovery systems, one of the next focal points to limiting energy consumption for thermally conditioning the indoor environment will be to possibly reducing the ventilation rate, or to make it in a new way demand controlled.

Within this paper, an evaluation of Indoor Air Quality in residential buildings, and the experience after a building retrofit is shown. One residential building in a Madrid social housing neighbourhood serves as case study and base for the monitoring. 

This document compiles papers produced by staff and collaborators of the Indoor Environment Department at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for presentation at the Indoor Air 2002 Conference, to be held June 30 – July 5, 2002 in Monterey, California. The Indoor Air Conference, held every three years, is the largest international conference on indoor air quality and was last held in the United States during 1981.