TY - JOUR
T1 - A comparison of the estimated natural ventilation rates of four solid wall houses with the measured ventilation rates and the implications for low-energy retrofits
AU - Keig, Peter
AU - Hyde, Trevor
AU - McGill, Grainne
PY - 2014/6/26
Y1 - 2014/6/26
N2 - To reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in existing houses in heating-dominated climates, there is a drive to reduce ventilation heat loss by tightening the building envelope. Energy-efficient domestic retrofits, which neglect ventilation requirements or assume without enquiry that adequate ventilation rates have been met, have the potential to impact negatively on the health and well-being of occupants by creating unhealthy indoor environments. The natural ventilation rates of UK dwellings created by building envelope air leakage is commonly estimated by applying a rule-of-thumb to the air flow required to create a pressure differential across a building envelope of 50 Pa using a fan pressurisation technique. To analyse the appropriateness of the rule, a tracer gas concentration decay technique was used on four Victorian solid wall houses to ascertain their natural ventilation rates created by building envelope air leakage. Results indicate that applying the rule overestimated the natural ventilation rates of the four houses tested. These findings have the potential to impact on retrofit ventilation strategies for existing houses.
AB - To reduce energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in existing houses in heating-dominated climates, there is a drive to reduce ventilation heat loss by tightening the building envelope. Energy-efficient domestic retrofits, which neglect ventilation requirements or assume without enquiry that adequate ventilation rates have been met, have the potential to impact negatively on the health and well-being of occupants by creating unhealthy indoor environments. The natural ventilation rates of UK dwellings created by building envelope air leakage is commonly estimated by applying a rule-of-thumb to the air flow required to create a pressure differential across a building envelope of 50 Pa using a fan pressurisation technique. To analyse the appropriateness of the rule, a tracer gas concentration decay technique was used on four Victorian solid wall houses to ascertain their natural ventilation rates created by building envelope air leakage. Results indicate that applying the rule overestimated the natural ventilation rates of the four houses tested. These findings have the potential to impact on retrofit ventilation strategies for existing houses.
KW - natural ventilation
KW - ventilation rates
KW - low-energy retrofits
UR - http://radar.gsa.ac.uk/3654/
U2 - 10.1177/1420326X14540927
DO - 10.1177/1420326X14540927
M3 - Article
VL - 25
SP - 169
EP - 179
JO - Indoor and Built Environment
JF - Indoor and Built Environment
SN - 1420-326X
IS - 1
ER -