Abstract |
aIn it's 1989 Report to Congress on Indoor Air Quality, the United States Environmental Protection Agency provided a preliminary assessment of the nature and magnitude of indoor air quality problems in the United States, the economic costs associated with indoor air pollution, and the types of controls and policies which can be used to improve the air quality in the nation's building stock. In that report, EPA estimated that the economic losses to the No abstract availablenation due to indoor air pollution was in the 'tens of billions' of dollars per year, and suggested that because of the relative magnitude of operating costs, labor costs, and rental revenue in most buildings, it is possible that modest investments toward improved indoor air quality would generate substantial returns. Since that time, EPA has attempted to further define the costs and benefits to the building industry of instituting indoor air quality controls. This project - Energy Cost and IAQ Performance of Ventilation Systems and Controls - is part of that effort. Adequate ventilation is a critical component of design and management practices needed for good indoor air quality. Yet, the energy required to run the heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system constitutes about half of a building's energy cost. Since energy efficiency can reduce operating costs and because the burning of fossil fuels is a major source of greenhouse gases, energy efficiency has become an important concern to the building industry and the promotion of efficient energy utilization has become a matter of public policy. It is important, therefore, to examine the relationship between energy use and indoor air quality. |