EEBA Academy

With increased focus on health and indoor air quality, the industry has seen a boom of low-cost indoor air quality sensor systems that measure a variety of pollutants and other substances. These sensors are being using in a wide array of applications, often being included in consumer IAQ feedback devices, and even sometimes being used to control demand-responsive ventilation. Newport and HVI will share the technical work performed to develop these standards as well as the future of industry efforts to bring certification of IAQ sensor systems to the market.

Homeowners are more concerned than ever about their indoor air quality. Quality builders are looking for ways to meet this growing demand for healthier homes with smart ventilation systems that can not only exhaust bad air and bring in fresh air but do it efficiently.

As societal forces shift, new buying behaviors emerge and consumers are becoming more educated about the place they call home. Builders must also shift the way homes and communities are designed and built. High Performance Homes, in particular, are in demand, but must be designed differently to perform at levels which meet or exceed homeowner expectations.

Energy-efficient new homes that are built tight require appropriately sized bath and kitchen exhaust and whole house mechanical ventilation (WHMV) systems to enable good indoor air quality. ASHRAE Standard 62.2 specifies minimum airflow rates and requires verification, but there is a lack of data on installed system performance and operation and their relationship to indoor air quality in occupied homes. This session will present early findings from an ongoing Building America research study that has gathered data on mechanical ventilation systems, indoor air quality parameters, and house and household characteristics from 180+ occupied homes in CA, CO, FL, GA, IL, OR, and SC.