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

通风仍然是建筑环境设计和翻新中最大的挑战之一，因为它涉及到平衡能源使用、健康和舒适性以及供暖系统集成。减少建筑物的能源需求可以在实现我们的净零碳目标方面发挥重要作用。随着建筑织物性能的提高，建筑中更大比例的热量通过通风损失。减少这种情况需要非常小心，因为室内空气质量对我们的健康、福祉和舒适性起着重要作用。此外，通风系统与采暖系统的相互作用也会影响采暖控制和舒适度。解决这个问题的一个办法是安装高度可控的全屋通风系统。这类系统在现有英国家庭中的适用性有限，如果不小心安装、维护和操作，可能会带来远非最佳的效果。因此，更简单、更坚固的被动式系统(例如，滴水通风口)采用集中和分散的机械抽气通风，这在英国通常是常态。这样的系统需要居住者正确操作通风口。研究表明，这种情况很少发生，通风口经常永久关闭或始终打开，随着天气条件的波动，由于室内空气质量不佳，导致一系列过度能源消耗和不适和不健康的情况。主要研究问题：与标准通风口相比，压力控制的滴流通风口对能源使用、健康、舒适性和能源系统成本有什么影响？次要问题可能包括：1.与理论和实验室测试相比，压力控制通风口在现场的性能如何？2.压力控制通风口作为当前和未来家庭通风和加热系统以及社会文化实践的一部分，如何与机械系统相互作用？3.如果压力控制通风口在快速脱碳的英国能源系统中得到广泛应用，可能会对健康和能源成本产生什么影响？4.现场压力控制通风口的耐用性如何？5.应如何为监管目的模拟压力控制通风口。即SAP/EPC？方法：预计该项目可能涉及一系列技术和社会技术研究方法，包括：1.对一些被占用的案例研究住所进行定量/定性的社会技术调查。2.实验室测试，以确定/表征通风机的动态性能，以便为建模提供信息3.使用DomVent、NHM-Health和Zonal或CFD模型等分析工具，在个人住宅水平和现有的英国库存中，对一系列不同住宅类型中不同通风和供暖策略的环境、健康和能源影响进行建模。

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.