Achieving Indoor Quality

According to the readings, how can design for improved indoor quality achieve energy savings? Provide some examples.

According to the Berkeley newsletter “Office too hot or cold? Researchers aim for comfort, energy efficiency” by Kathleen Mackay in 2013, it has been predicted that if the University of California researchers’ innovations that are placed in commercial building it will lead to cutting the buildings energy consumption to almost a third. This is all made possible by including Personal Comfort System’s (PCS) within a workstation that are made up of tools that allow the user to control the thermal environment they work in through heating and cooling devices found in their personal chairs, foot warmers, and fans. These devices “target the most thermally sensitive parts of the body… to provide warmth or cooling as needed and as desired, rather than trying to maintain one temperature for an entire building or floor,” and are only active when the space is occupied. Because of this the average number of watts used for heating and cooling is extremely lower then when using a conventional space heater and foot warmer, decreasing the overall energy usage and cost. In using the PCS’s heating and cooling tools within an office space they have estimated “the new system could save up to $62 million a year in energy costs in the state, while eliminating 247,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.”

What are some of the issues that lead to poor indoor air quality? What are some of the solutions to these issues?

In the ASHARE Journal article “Using ASHARE’s New IAQ Guide” by Andrew Persily and Martha Hewett, it is stated that buildings energy efficiency can and have degraded indoor air quality (IAQ). But in hopes not to repeat the past in efforts to obtaining net zero energy buildings today and in the future they discuss the 2010 publication of Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction and Commissioning and its developments. The book is not just focused on improving IAQ through the minimum ventilation requirements but talked about the necessary design and constructions decisions that needed to be made throughout the buildings process. The IAQ guide even suggests that the IAQ be considered at the start of the design process because “Efforts to achieve high levels of building performance without diligent consideration of the IAQ at the beginning of the design process can lead to IAQ problems and represent missed opportunities to ensure good IAQ.” Some decisions made to reach an energy savings building like the location of the site, a buildings orientation, location of the mechanical system intakes, how the building is heated, cooled, and ventilated also have an impact on the possibilities of achieving good IAQ. These efforts for maintaining good IAQ also continue through operation of the systems too, much like making sure energy efficient goals are met and sustained through a buildings lifespan.

A number of issues are listed as factors that lead up to poor indoor air quality. They also mention a few of the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Guide practical steps that are aimed in the right direction to achieving good IAQ. But first some of the major influencers to poor IAQ discussed are moisture build up, poor outdoor air quality, inadequate ventilation and contaminates form indoor sources. Moisture build up can become a problem when  extreme amounts of moisture begins to occur within a buildings envelop due to leaks, rain penetrations, construction defects, and poor building pressure control. Some of the guidance given to decrease the chances of moisture becoming an issue is having an “understanding of building moisture movement and attention to detail in the envelope design and construction and mechanical system selection, installation and operations.” Poor filtration and unclean systems have a major impact on IAQ as they are the first responders to the pollutants that get in the building from the outside. The guide suggests filtration treatments and cleaning alternatives for the air that can improve the IAQ when performed properly and consistently maintained. The guide list a number of strategies designers and building practitioners can take in hopes to achieving good IAQ today and in the years to come, these are just a few “Manage the Design and Construction Process…; Control Moisture in Building Assemblies; Limit Entry of Outdoor Contaminates; Control Moisture and Contaminates Related to Mechanical Systems; Limit Contaminants from Indoor Sources…,” etc.