Smart Ventilation: A systemic, socio-technical evaluation of pressure-controlled vents in housing

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Ventilation remains one of the biggest challenges in building environmental design and refurbishment because it involves balancing energy use, health and comfort, and heating system integration. Reducing energy demand in buildings can play a major role in meeting our net zero carbon targets. As the fabric performance of our buildings improves, a larger percentage of a building's heat is lost through ventilation. Reducing this requires great care as indoor air quality plays a major role in our health, wellbeing and comfort. Also, how the ventilation system interacts with the heating system can impact heating control and comfort. One solution to this problem is the installation of highly controllable whole house ventilation systems. Such systems have limited applicability in existing UK homes, and if not carefully installed, maintained and operated can deliver far from the optimum. Therefore, simpler more robust passive systems (e.g. trickle vents) with centralised and decentralised mechanical extract ventilation, which are often the norm in the UK. Such systems require the correct operation of the vents by the occupant. Studies have shown that this rarely occurs, with vents often left permanently closed or always open, resulting in a succession of periods of excessive energy use and discomfort and unhealthy conditions due to poor indoor air quality, as weather conditions fluctuate. Main research question: What impact would a pressure-controlled trickle vent have on energy use, health, comfort and energy system costs when compared to a standard vent? Sub questions could include: 1. How does the performance of a pressure-controlled vent in the field compare to theory and laboratory tests?2. How does a pressure-controlled vent interact with mechanical systems as part of the bundles of ventilation and heating systems and socio-cultural practices in current and future homes?3. What could the health and energy cost impacts be if pressure-controlled vents were to be widely utilised in the context of a rapidly decarbonising UK energy system?4. What is the durability of pressure-controlled vents in the field? 5. How should a pressure-controlled vent be modelled for regulatory purposes, i.e. in SAP/EPC?Methods: It is anticipated that the project could involve a range of technical and socio-technical research methods including: 1. Quantitative/qualitative socio-technical investigations in a number of occupied case study dwellings. 2. Laboratory testing to define/characterise the dynamic performance of the ventilator to inform modelling 3. Modelling the environmental, health and energy impact of different ventilation and heating strategies in a range of different dwelling types at both an individual dwelling level and in the existing UK stock, using analytical tools such as DomVent, NHM-Health, and Zonal or CFD models.