Research project AP/43 (Research action AP)
Nowadays, the importance of good indoor air quality for human health and welfare is more topical than ever. Because dwelling air tightness has improved over the years, there is a concern that pollutants emitted by building materials and indoor sources stack inside the habitat. Therefore, it is necessary that there is a policy which focuses not only on improving the degree of dwelling isolation and air tightness, but also pays attention to a healthy indoor climate by decreasing material emission and improving dwelling ventilation.
At present, Belgium lacks an instrument which exemplary synchronizes the relationship between emissions, air tightness and ventilation and indoor air quality.
This study will aim at developing such an emission/ventilation/indoor air quality model, and observe the implications on habitat energy performance.
Determining a strategy which guarantees good indoor air quality within the conditions of a high energy performance level, is paramount. It should hold into account product and building material emission on the one hand, and ventilation-conditions on the other.
This will require bringing together our knowledge on energy performance legislation, ventilation systems and norms, product emissions, pollutant concentrations and their effect on health and modelling indoor air concentrations. The method will be outlined by some case studies.
The selected emission strengths will be used in a selected indoor model in order to calculate the expected indoor concentrations in the presence of ventilation and under a certain energy performance level. In which way the air circulation percentage parameter influences indoor concentrations will be determined by using a scenario-analysis. This will allow drawing up scenarios which will keep indoor concentrations caused by indoor source emissions acceptable, or which will determine acceptable emission levels with fixed ventilation.
QINTAIR: modellering van binnenluchtkwaliteit op basis van bouwmaterialen- emissies, gebouwluchtdichtheid en ventilatie van woningen : eindrapport = rapport final
Brussel : Federaal Wetenschapsbeleid, 2009 (SP2113)
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