The impact of ventilation systems on indoor air quality and the interaction of the occupants with these systems: A study conducted on Belgian residential buildings

Abstract

Researches illustrated that people spend an average of 87% of their time enclosed in buildings and more precisely 69% of their time at home (Klepeis, et al., 2001), and with the current direction of the construction sector these building are becoming more and more restricted in energy consumption. As a consequence, numerous POE (post-occupancy evaluation) studies conducted on these high-performance buildings highlight the fact that the reduction of energy consumption has an effect on users’ indoor environmental comfort, such as the study conducted by (Pastore & Andersen, 2019) illustrating that the satisfactory rate doesn’t exceed 50% when it comes to IAQ (indoor air quality). Furthermore, after reviewing the main factors contributing on air quality, ventilation systems seem to be a critical factor. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the efficiency of different ventilation systems on IAQ using quantitative on-site monitoring conducted on 5 residential buildings in Belgium. As an additional contribution of the study, the interaction of the occupants with these systems will be analyzed in a qualitative manner, regarding their operating mode, maintenance frequency, and personal sensations based on the combination of in-depth surveys and profiling (Bruxelles Environnement, 2017). Based on the analysis conducted in the study, the results confirm that the occupants behavioral pattern has more impact on the ventilation systems than the maintenance factor, and this impact is proportional with the degree of the performance of the constructions. Mechanical ventilation systems proves to be the most efficient ventilation system when it comes to an even distribution of the indoor air quality and satisfaction rate. However, a calculation based on the occupants’ behavioral pattern must be established to avoid miscalculations and reduce discomfort. Finally, the research highlights the fact that the personal control on the ventilation systems when it comes to the adaptation method (such as the openings and the free cooling concept), has a major contribution on the occupants’ satisfaction rate.