One option of reducing residential energy consumption is to improve air tightness but adequate ventilation must be provided for health reasons. Sources of infiltration and factors affecting infiltration rates are described, with methods for quantifying and comparing rates. The relationship with air quality is explained and the effect that air quality has on respiration and health. Typical indoor pollutants are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, radon and radon progeny, formaldehyde gas, particulates, tobacco smoke and odours.

In this paper, an empirical method is proposed which qualifies the thermal performance of buildings through the entire year. The thermal quality parameter (BTPI) is intended to be an instrument for the implementation of new energy regulations for buildings, especially for those that are located in areas with mild climate and no heating or air conditioning systems. Portuguese climatic zones are typified for summer and winter and predominance factors for seasonal loads are defined.

Pressurisation measurements were taken on 55 single family houses immediately before and after house tightening carried out as part of the Modular Retrofit Experiment (MRE) in New Jersey and New York. The data was reduced according totwo pres

As more component leakage test data become available, all available data has been merged using the orifice flow equation for a standard pressure differential of 50 Pa existing across the component. All component leakage areas are added to pro

The British Gas 'Autovent' system utilises the constant concentration technique and was developed for measuring ventilation rates in dwellings. It has recently been used in two large open-plan buildings, a school nursery and a factory unit, and the opportunity was taken to carry out special tests to assess its validity in such buildings. The reason why these tests were needed, the nature of the tests and the results obtained form the main content of the paper. The evidence from the tests strongly indicates that the system is suitable.

A mobile laboratory has been constructed for the sensory analysis of air quality in the field. It is used as a human exposure chamber for prolonged exposure to low concentration pollutants, a generator chamber for air pollutants, and a pollut

Sedentary subjects occupied an environmental chamber (20-22 deg C, 35-50% RH) with low ventilation for 90 min. Judges (visitors) evaluated the odour of the chamber before and during, and after the 90-min period of occupancy. Odour intensity increased throughout occupancy and decayed afterwards. However, therate of decay exceeded that anticipated from ventilation rate alone. The results implied that body odour is unstable with a half-life of 55 min. This instability will influence quantitative requirements for ventilation during nonsmoking occupancy.

Demonstrates that complaints by office staff about their physical environment are not necessarily caused by physical deficiencies. Trying to reduce the level of complaints by adjusting heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can therefore be an unrewarding task. Greater attention needs to be placed on - communications between management, those responsible for running HVAC systems and staff. Staff need the feeling that they can influence, if not control, their environment. Staff should also have more realistic expectations about their thermal comfort.

An account is given of what the kindergarten staff wrongly believed caused the problems and what measures they carried out in an attempt to solve them. On the spot measurements showed however what the real main cause of the problems was. Results from the comprehensive measurements of CO2 concentrations andother ventilation performance criteria in a room occupied by 12 children and 3adults are then presented.

Random samples of the workforces of an air conditioned and naturally ventilated building were interviewed using a doctor administered questionnaire. Large and statistically significant excesses of work-related nasal symptoms, irritation of the eyes, dry throat, headache, dry skin andlethargy were detected in the air conditioned building compared to the naturally ventilated building. In the air conditioned building, over 36% of those interviewed were suffering from a single symptom and few workers were symptom free.