Practical Strategies for Achieving IAQ in Green Buildings and High Performance Buildings

Different ventilation strategies impact both exposures and energy use. Two pollutant exposure control strategies were investigated in several US and Middle Eastern buildings. These tests demonstrated that the air cleaning mode with minimum ventilation coupled with smart controls realized 20-40% energy savings compared to conventional modes, while maintaining or improving the IAq in the space. For the pollutants measured, we calculated emission rates and gave examples of using time-averaged mass balance equations to show compliance with the IAQP. Field measurements in this study demonstrated that efficient air cleaning is a superior option delivering both IAQ and energy savings.