Energy, indoor air quality, occupant behavior, self-reported symptoms and satisfaction in energy-efficient dwellings in Switzerland

Shen, Yang; Pernot, Joëlle Goyette; Jörin, Corinne Hager; Niculita‐Hirzel, Hélène; Perret, Vincent; Licina, Dusan

doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2019.106618

Cited by 53 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The similar findings that mechanically ventilated residences have lower VOC levels were reported in the French and Swedish campaigns 26,27 . Our previous study 44 found that occupants in Swiss naturally ventilated dwellings tended to open window much less in winter than in summer. Thus, it can be assumed that in winter, the disparity in VOC levels between mechanically and naturally ventilated dwellings would be even larger, owing to reduced dilution of airborne contaminants in naturally ventilated homes.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

“…Study samples were collected within the framework of the large‐scale survey conducted in “Mesqualair” New Regional Policy collaborative project on IAQ evaluation in 650 energy‐efficient dwellings from January 2013 to March 2016 in Western Switzerland 43,44 . 200 participants, largely building owners, were invited to take part in a complementary analysis of VOCs and aldehydes in their dwellings.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The similar findings that mechanically ventilated residences have lower VOC levels were reported in the French and Swedish campaigns. 26,27 Our previous study 44 found that occupants in Swiss naturally ventilated dwell-…”

Section: Influence Of Dwelling Characteristics On Voc Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Comparable results with other European campaigns suggest a sufficient robustness of our dataset. Furthermore, we obtained the information about the ventilation type and occupants' ventilation habits via questionnaire survey,44 but the ventilation rates during the measurements were unknown. This leads to a lack of quantitative association between ventilation rates and indoor VOC levels.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Volatile organic compounds in 169 energy‐efficient dwellings in Switzerland

Shen

Perret²,

Jörin

et al. 2020

Indoor Air

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Indoor Air. 2020;30:481-491. | 481 wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ina 1 | INTRODUC TI ON Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are important gaseous pollutants, because many of them have known adverse effects on human health and comfort, ranging from mild irritation to acute toxicity and carcinogenicity. 1-4 Indoors, VOCs are the most prevalent air pollutants and also the most studied. Lowering indoor VOC concentrations can improve working productivity and reduce health effects. 5,6 Indoor VOC concentrations are influenced by different factors, such as building characteristics, occupants' behaviors, and environmental parameters. 7-10 Specifically in residential buildings where people spend 68% of their time, 11 known sources of VOCs Abstract Exposure to elevated levels of certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in households has been linked to deleterious health effects. This study presents the first largescale investigation of VOC levels in 169 energy-efficient dwellings in Switzerland. Through a combination of physical measurements and questionnaire surveys, we investigated the influence of diverse building characteristics on indoor VOCs. Among 74 detected compounds, carbonyls, alkanes, and alkenes were the most abundant. Median concentration levels of formaldehyde (14 μg/m 3 ), TVOC (212 μg/m 3 ), benzene (<0.1 μg/m 3 ), and toluene (22 μg/m 3 ) were below the upper exposure limits. Nonetheless, 90% and 50% of dwellings exceeded the chronic exposure limits for formaldehyde (9 μg/m 3 ) and TVOC (200 μg/m 3 ), respectively. There was a strong positive correlation among VOCs that likely originated from common sources. Dwellings built between 1950s and 1990s, and especially, those with attached garages had higher TVOC concentrations. Interior thermal retrofit of dwellings and absence of mechanical ventilation system were associated with elevated levels of formaldehyde, aromatics, and alkanes. Overall, energy-renovated homes had higher levels of certain VOCs compared with newly built homes. The results suggest that energy efficiency measures in dwellings should be accompanied by actions to mitigate VOC exposures as to avoid adverse health outcomes. K E Y W O R D S building characteristics, dwellings, energy efficiency, thermal retrofit, ventilation, volatile organic compounds

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Influence Of Dwelling Characteristics On Voc Concentrationsmentioning

confidence: 95%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Volatile organic compounds in 169 energy‐efficient dwellings in Switzerland

Shen

Perret²,

Jörin

et al. 2020

Indoor Air

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“…The buildings investigated in ‘Mesqualair’ New Regional Policy collaborative project [ 40 , 41 , 42 ] were selected from high-energy-performance buildings registered with the Minergie Agency and Romand Cantonal Energy Service Offices. Within the full project framework, sample population that agreed to participate in our study included the owners of 433 retrofitted buildings that met the requirements of the national energy renovation project for buildings ( Programme Bâtiment; PB) and the owners of 217 recently constructed buildings that met the requirements of Minergie (M) green building label.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fungal Contaminants in Energy Efficient Dwellings: Impact of Ventilation Type and Level of Urbanization

Niculita‐Hirzel

Shen

Jörin

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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The presence of growing fungi in the indoor environment has been associated with the development of respiratory problems such as asthma or allergic rhinitis, as well as the worsening of respiratory pathologies. Their proliferation indoors could be a result of water leakage or inadequate ventilation. Although the factors promoting mould growth have been widely investigated in traditional dwellings, little work has been done in energy efficient dwellings. Here, the effectiveness of ventilation type, i.e., natural or mechanical, in influencing mould development was estimated in 44 recent and 105 retrofitted energy efficient dwellings. Fungi growing on surfaces were investigated in the dwellings situated in rural, peri-urban, and urban regions of Switzerland. The presence of these fungi was also investigated in bedroom settled dust. Information on building characteristics and owners’ lifestyle were collected. Significant associations were found with the level of urbanisation, the location of mouldy area in dwellings, and the diversity of fungal taxa. Dwellings in peri-urban zones showed the most frequent fungal contamination in the owners’ bedroom and the highest diversity of fungal genera among dwellings. While the urbanisation level or the ventilation type favoured no specific genus, we found marked disparities in the diversity of fungi growing on surfaces in naturally ventilated versus mechanically ventilated dwellings. Aspergillus, in particular, was a frequent surface contaminant in bedrooms with natural ventilation, but not in those mechanically ventilated. We observed a strong association between fungal growth on surfaces and the number of fungal particles counted in the settled dust of owners’ bedrooms. These results demonstrate the importance of ventilation systems in energy efficient dwellings in controlling fungal proliferation in living areas.

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