The temporal and spatial variability of ventilation rate in an occupied case-study dwelling
Jessica Few, UCL Energy Institute
Overview
The ventilation rate in an occupied dwelling is important both for its energy use and its indoor air quality. Increased ventilation rates result in increased heat demand during the heating season, but also reduce the concentration of indoor air pollutants (assuming the outdoor air is less polluted). The ventilation rate is a trade-off between these two factors, and understanding the manifestation of ventilation rate in occupied dwellings has important implications for both.
Historically there has been a lack of detailed measurements of ventilation in occupied dwellings. Where empirical measurements have been made these have tended to be either over a short time scale or averaged over a long period. However, the ventilation rate in occupied dwellings will be variable because of the wide range of interacting factors, including the building characteristics, weather and occupant behaviour.
This project will use CO2 decay curves to empirically determine the ventilation rate in all the rooms of an occupied case-study dwelling over a monitoring period of two months. Patterns in the ventilation rate will be identified using statistical pattern recognition techniques such as cluster analysis.