Development of a nationally representative set of combined building energy and indoor air quality models for U.S. residences

Fazli, Torkan; Stephens, Brent

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2018.03.047

Cited by 25 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 98 publications

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“…The importance of ACR was demonstrated by the strong negative association between ACRs and TTVOC concentrations (Figure 2). We estimated an average ACR of 2.5 h −1 (range: 0.6‐3.7 h −1 ), similar to previous studies 22,77‐79 . Lower ACRs in summer, as reported elsewhere, 79 can result from the use of air conditioning, reduced HVAC fan speeds, smaller indoor‐outdoor temperature gradients, and lower wind velocities.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Occupational exposure and health risks of volatile organic compounds of hotel housekeepers: Field measurements of exposure and health risks

Lin

Rosemberg

et al. 2020

Indoor Air

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Hotel housekeepers represent a large, low‐income, predominantly minority, and high‐risk workforce. Little is known about their exposure to chemicals, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This study evaluates VOC exposures of housekeepers, sources and factors affecting VOC levels, and provides preliminary estimates of VOC‐related health risks. We utilized indoor and personal sampling at two hotels, assessed ventilation, and characterized the VOC composition of cleaning agents. Personal sampling of hotel staff showed a total target VOC concentration of 57 ± 36 µg/m3 (mean ± SD), about twice that of indoor samples. VOCs of greatest health significance included chloroform and formaldehyde. Several workers had exposure to alkanes that could cause non‐cancer effects. VOC levels were negatively correlated with estimated air change rates. The composition and concentrations of the tested products and air samples helped identify possible emission sources, which included building sources (for formaldehyde), disinfection by‐products in the laundry room, and cleaning products. VOC levels and the derived health risks in this study were at the lower range found in the US buildings. The excess lifetime cancer risk (average of 4.1 × 10−5) still indicates a need to lower exposure by reducing or removing toxic constituents, especially formaldehyde, or by increasing ventilation rates.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Occupational exposure and health risks of volatile organic compounds of hotel housekeepers: Field measurements of exposure and health risks

Lin

Rosemberg

et al. 2020

Indoor Air

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“…The lowest per capita mortality estimate was in the Mountain census division, with moderate residential indoor PM 2.5 concentrations and a moderate baseline mortality rate. Regional differences in ΔC PM2.5,IG,residences were driven variations in air exchange rates [89] and system runtimes (which primarily affects particle filtration [90]).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scenario 2 uses regional estimates of residential indoor PM 2.5 concentrations of indoor origin and ambient infiltration factors recently made using a nationally representative set of combined residential energy and indoor air quality (REIAQ) models for non-smoking US residences [89]. Briefly, the REIAQ model set combined building energy models with dynamic pollutant mass balance models to estimate the hourly concentrations of a number of pollutants of indoor and outdoor origin, including PM 2.5 , in a total of 3971 individual home models in 19 cities that are estimated to represent~80% of the US housing stock as of approximately the early 2000s.…”

Section: Applying the Model Framework: Scenario Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A framework for estimating the US mortality burden of fine particulate matter exposure attributable to indoor and outdoor microenvironments

Azimi

Stephens

2018

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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Exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) is associated with increased mortality. Although epidemiology studies typically use outdoor PM 2.5 concentrations as surrogates for exposure, the majority of PM 2.5 exposure in the US occurs in microenvironments other than outdoors. We develop a framework for estimating the total US mortality burden attributable to exposure to PM 2.5 of both indoor and outdoor origin in the primary non-smoking microenvironments in which people spend most of their time. The framework utilizes an exposure-response function combined with adjusted mortality effect estimates that account for underlying exposures to PM 2.5 of outdoor origin that likely occurred in the original epidemiology populations from which effect estimates are derived. We demonstrate the framework using several different scenarios to estimate the potential magnitude and bounds of the US mortality burden attributable to total PM 2.5 exposure across all nonsmoking environments under a variety of assumptions. Our best estimates of the US mortality burden associated with total PM 2.5 exposure in the year 2012 range from~230,000 to~300,000 deaths. Indoor exposure to PM 2.5 of outdoor origin is typically the largest total exposure, accounting for~40-60% of total mortality, followed by residential exposure to indoor PM 2.5 sources, which also drives the majority of variability in each scenario.

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“…Lastly, the mid-rise apartment building and associated set of intervention scenarios in a single apartment modeled in Boston, MA, may not be generalizable to other apartment locations, buildings, ventilation systems, climates, and outdoor pollution profiles. In future work, the CONTAM-EnergyPlus modeling platform could be utilized to build a nationally representative sample of U.S. homes, similar to previous simulations of energy utilization [ 3 , 59 , 60 ] and indirect co-simulations of energy and IAQ [ 35 ]. The novel contribution of our modeling framework would be the ability to dynamically co-simulate both energy and IAQ.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While numerous studies have utilized EnergyPlus to estimate the impacts of residential retrofits on energy, few have considered the corresponding impacts on IAQ. A recent study indirectly coupled EnergyPlus simulation results with a single zone contaminant transport model to preform energy and IAQ analysis for a representative set of U.S. residential buildings [ 35 ]. Meanwhile, dynamic co-simulation of CONTAM and EnergyPlus allows run-time data exchange between the two programs, so that inter-zone airflows and infiltration rates from CONTAM are passed to EnergyPlus, and indoor temperatures and HVAC system airflow rates determined by EnergyPlus are passed to CONTAM.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying the impact of housing interventions on indoor air quality and energy consumption using coupled simulation models

Underhill

Dols

Lee

et al. 2020

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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While residential energy and ventilation standards aim to improve the energy performance and indoor air quality (IAQ) of homes, their combined impact across diverse residential activities and housing environments has not been well-established. This study demonstrates the insights that a recently-developed, freely-available coupled IAQ-energy modeling platform can provide regarding the energy and IAQ trade-offs of weatherization (i.e., sealing and insulation) and ventilation retrofits in multifamily housing across varied indoor occupant activity and mechanical ventilation scenarios in Boston, MA. Overall, it was found that combined weatherization and improved ventilation recommended by design standards could lead to both energy savings and IAQ-related benefits; however, ventilation standards may not be sufficient to protect against IAQ disbenefits for residents exposed to strong indoor sources (e.g., heavy cooking or smoking) and could lead to net increases in energy costs (e.g. due to addition of continuous outdoor air ventilation). The modeling platform employed in this study is flexible and can be applied to a wide range of building typologies, retrofits, climates, and indoor occupant activities; therefore, it stands as a valuable tool for identifying cost-effective interventions that meet both energy efficiency and ventilation standards and improve IAQ across diverse housing populations.

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Development of a nationally representative set of combined building energy and indoor air quality models for U.S. residences

Cited by 25 publications

References 98 publications

Occupational exposure and health risks of volatile organic compounds of hotel housekeepers: Field measurements of exposure and health risks

Occupational exposure and health risks of volatile organic compounds of hotel housekeepers: Field measurements of exposure and health risks

A framework for estimating the US mortality burden of fine particulate matter exposure attributable to indoor and outdoor microenvironments

Quantifying the impact of housing interventions on indoor air quality and energy consumption using coupled simulation models

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