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Alternative ventilation strategies in US offices: Saving energy while enhancing work performance, reducing absenteeism, and considering outdoor pollutant exposure tradeoffs
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Alternative ventilation strategies in US offices: Saving energy while enhancing work performance, reducing absenteeism, and considering outdoor pollutant exposure tradeoffs

Tom Ben-David, Adams Rackes and Michael S. Waring
Building and environment, v 116, pp 140-157
01 May 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2017.02.004
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2017.02.004View
Accepted (AM)Open Access (Publisher-Specific),  Open

Abstract

Construction & Building Technology Engineering Engineering, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science & Technology Technology
Mechanical ventilation can improve occupant productivity, use or save energy, and increase outdoor-to-indoor pollutant transport. This work explores those impacts for eight ventilation strategies, relative to a baseline constant mechanical ventilation rate (VR) of 9.4 L/s/occ, in two representative offices. Strategies were unique combinations of airside economizing, demand-controlled ventilation, and supply air temperature reset, along with doubling the baseline VR. These were evaluated within a Monte Carlo analysis that varied climate and outdoor pollution, along with 19 building parameters. Energy modeling, empirical correlations, and indoor air quality (IAQ) modeling were used to quantify outcomes of: (i) energy use; (ii) profitable IAQ impacts, e.g. work performance; and (iii) negative IAQ health impacts due to indoor particle and ozone exposure. 'Win-win' strategies were defined as those that saved energy and increased work performance, and these always included an economizer. Relative to the baseline, the win-win strategies: increased annual geometric mean VRs by 5-10 L/s/occ; reduced mechanical system energy consumption by 12-27% (saving $1-1.75/m(2)/year); increased work performance by 0.5%; eliminated 5 h of absenteeism per year; and increased indoor PM2.5 by 0.5 mu g/m(3) and ozone by 3 ppb. A sensitivity analysis identified infiltration and climate as the largest outcome drivers. Median annual benefits for small-to-medium-large offices in the U.S. (similar to 75% of office floorspace) were $28 billion for implementing the win-win strategy with the greatest energy savings, and $55 billion for implementing the win-win strategy with the greatest work performance increase. Particle exposure tradeoffs were mitigated by use of efficient filters. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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16 Record Views
42 citations in Web of Science
50 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#11 Sustainable Cities and Communities
#13 Climate Action
#7 Affordable and Clean Energy

InCites Highlights

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Web of Science research areas
Construction & Building Technology
Engineering, Civil
Engineering, Environmental
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