Comfort, Indoor Air Quality, and Energy Consumption in Low Energy Homes.

摘要

A home with an optimized building envelope, including enhanced insulated walls, high-efficiency windows, and airtight construction, can achieve very low energy consumption, foremost in cold climates. These measures also have a substantial impact on indoor conditions, notably occupant comfort in winter and indoor air quality (IAQ). Specifically, high insulation levels produce indoor surface temperatures close to the indoor air temperature, increasing the mean radiant temperature in winter and (to a lesser extent) decreasing it in summer. Airtight construction prevents uncontrolled ventilation heat losses and protects the building structure, but creates the need for mechanical ventilation to ensure sufficient outdoor air supply. A marketing claim frequently made about high performance homes is that, in addition to being extremely energy efficient, they offer increased comfort and IAQ, and are thus healthier than conventional homes. This study investigates whether these claims can be supported by measured field data. This report documents the results of an in-depth evaluation of thermal comfort for two potential net zero-energy homes (NZEHs) in Massachusetts. We also present the results of an IAQ evaluation that was part of a larger study done in conjunction with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Even though the homes were monitored and evaluated in great detail, the results must be seen as case studies, as occupant behavior has a dramatic impact on energy consumption. Nevertheless, research in the United States (Parker 2008) and Europe (Feist et al. 2001; Passipedia 2012) clearly shows that improvements in energy efficiency measures lead to significant reductions in energy consumption.