Winter Conference event will address dilemma between IAQ and energy efficiency

Putting forward the poser: Do designers have to battle it out between good Indoor Environment Quality and energy efficiency, or can they coexist peacefully? ASHRAE, has stated in a communiqué, that striking a balance between the two in homes is being addressed in a seminar at ASHRAE’s 2014 Winter Conference, that will take place from January 18 to 22, at the New York Hilton, New York, NY.

The seminar, IAQ in Low-Energy Homes: Avoiding Collateral Damage, is reportedly being held on January 19,  as part of a track focused on Indoor Environmental Health/Indoor Environmental Quality, where speakers will share case studies and research that show how low energy and good IEQ can work in tandem.

ASHRAE gave details of the presentations and speakers:

• Brennan Less, Residential Building Systems Group, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, Field Study of Airtightness, Ventilation and IAQ in 24 High Performance Green California Homes
• Brett Singer, PhD, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and Formaldehyde (HCHO) Measurements in New Homes
• Kurt Roth, PhD, Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems, Cambridge, Massachusettes, The Realities of Operation and Occupancy in Net Zero Energy Homes: Two Case Studies
• Persily, PhD, IAQ Specs in a Net-Zero Energy Research Home: How Well Did They Work

Other sessions in the Indoor Environmental Health/Indoor Environmental Quality track include:

• Chemical Laboratories Classification to Improve Safety and Energy Efficiency, January 19
• Selected papers in the Conference Paper Session 2, January 19
• Can Low-Energy Buildings be Healthy for Occupants?, January 19
• Indoor Air Quality: Impact of Variables, January 20
• The Human Factor – Better Understanding of Comfort, Environment, and Risks, January 20
• Designs for Thermal Comfort and Energy Savings: Real Practices in School and Office Buildings, January 20
• A Comprehensive Look at Infectious Disease and Air Filtration in Healthcare Facilities: Energy Saving, IAQ Performance, and What Makes You Sick, January 21
• Real Co$t of Filtration, January 21
• Impact of Unvented Combustion on Indoor Air Quality, January 22
• Lessons Learned from Storm Recovery, January 22

Highlighting the significance of the subject, Seminar Chair Andrew Persily, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, said: “Whether a home is net zero or very low energy, it is critically important that energy efficiency measures do not compromise the indoor environment. Homes, and buildings in general, exist for the occupants, not to win energy efficiency competitions, but the industry often sees tension between the goals of energy efficiency and indoor air quality. As we move toward low-energy homes, we need to remember and address IAQ, providing low-energy homes that support and ideally improve the health and comfort of the occupants.”