retrofit

The Bonneville Power Administration began to look into indoor air quality in 1981 when it planned an extensive weatherization programme. Alternatives were examined for increasing energy savings without increasing health risks. Itwas found that house tightening could increase existing pollutant concentrations in a home by up to 30%. Scientists estimated that each year,between two and thirty five people in every hundred thousand develop cancer from exposure to indoor air polluted by benzo-(a)-pyrene, radon, and formaldehyde.

Looks at some studies that have been done to see if the retrofits have actually changed indoor air quality and changed pollutant concentrations. The first study (1981) of 18 homes in Washington state used the house doctor technique. The second study was of two homes in Medford, Oregon and one in Cranbury, New Jersey, all monitored for two weeks. The third study was of two identical houses in Rockville, Maryland, monitored over a year. One of them was retrofitted using the house doctor technique, as a result of which air leakage dropped by 40%. A fourth study of fifty houses is mentioned.

Classification and characteristics of particular methods of investigations on thermal energy balance in dwelling houses aiming at determination of economy attained owing to modernization measures, are presented in the paper. Guidelines on execution of respective measurements and on working out theinvestigation results are given.

Uses a model to estimate the incremental risk of lung cancer associated with increased radon concentrations in indoor air resulting from decreased air infiltration caused by increased air tightness of dwellings. Gives results for selected changes in the air exchange rate. Discusses findings.

20 low-income family houses were studied for Air Changes per Hour and Equivalent Leakage Area as measured by the Blower Door Test during the winter of 1985-86. The residents of 10 of these homes were given instruction on air sealing techniques and were provided a "starter kit" of retrofit materials. Upon retesting, these 10 homes showed no improvement in either ACH or ELA,indicating either a lack of interest on the part of the householders in making their homes more airtight, or an inability to do so based upon insufficient information or physical limitation.

Subjects covered include: problems of radon, formaldehyde build-up in the home, residential indoor air quality, effect of moisture on other pollutants, epidemiology of indoor air problems, setting standards for recognising harmful concentrations in homes, the effect of retrofit conversion measures, thepublic's perspective.

Discusses 11 strategies where methods and guidelines should be applied now by the building services engineer in designing new ventilation systems or retrofitting existing systems.