Seasonal variations and the influence of ventilation rates on IAQ: A case study of five low-energy London apartments
Publication Date
2022Journal Title
Indoor and Built Environment
ISSN
1420-326X
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Volume
31
Issue
3
Pages
607-623
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Stamp, S., Burman, E., Shrubsole, C., Chatzidiakou, L., Mumovic, D., & Davies, M. (2022). Seasonal variations and the influence of ventilation rates on IAQ: A case study of five low-energy London apartments. Indoor and Built Environment, 31 (3), 607-623. https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326X211017175
Abstract
<jats:p> The indoor air quality (IAQ) of five low-energy London apartments has been assessed through the measurement of 16 key pollutants, using continuous and diffusive methods across heating and non-heating seasons. This case study approach aimed to assess the presence of pollutants within low-energy apartments and to better understand the role of ventilation and seasonal variations in indoor air quality. The results indicate strong seasonal variations, driven by increased natural ventilation rates over the summer monitoring period. A combined metric for indoor and outdoor pollutants ( I<jats:sub>tot</jats:sub>) suggests that the IAQ in the winter ( I<jats:sub>tot</jats:sub> = 17.7) is more than twice as bad as that seen in the summer ( I<jats:sub>tot</jats:sub> = 8.6). Formaldehyde concentrations were lower in the non-heating season, indicating increased ventilation rates more than offset increased off-gassing, in contrast to findings in other studies. However, increased summertime ventilation rates were observed to increase the proportion of outdoor pollutants entering the internal environment. This resulted in higher indoor concentrations of NO<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> in the summer than the winter, despite significant reductions in outdoor concentrations. These results demonstrate the impact of ventilation practices upon IAQ, the influence of occupant actions and the complex relationship ventilation rates play in balancing indoor and outdoor sources of air pollution. </jats:p>
Keywords
Original Papers, IAQ VOCs/SVOCs HCHO, etc., PMs, dusts, inorg, Indoor thermal environ, Low energy buildings, IAQ measurements
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/N009703/1)
Identifiers
10.1177_1420326x211017175
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1420326X211017175
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/335238
Rights
Licence:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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