Formaldehyde as an indoor air quality metric for homes : control strategies and energy consequences

The renewed emphasis on energy conservation in the building sector has resulted in advances in residential building envelope design and construction that have led to ever tighter homes, lower energy consumption and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases. To keep pace with these advances, indoor air quality (IAQ) engineers are seeking ways to cost effectively achieve aldehyde, particularly formaldehyde (HCHO), and volatile organic compound (VOC) concentrations that meet government reference exposure limits (RELs). This work investigates four key concepts: (1) the efficacy of using HCHO as a surrogate for the impact of all aldehydes and VOCs on IAQ, (2) energy use/cost, compared with baseline energy used to achieve ASHRAE 62.2-2016 ventilation rates, required to attain desired RELs, (3) Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY) benefits/value of reaching desired RELs and, (4) energy savings/value, identification and initial testing of a real-time HCHO monitor/controller to control variable speed ventilation and gas-phase filtration to achieve desired HCHO concentrations. This work is expected to inform decision makers and potentially be incorporated into several national standards and building programs such as ASHRAE 62.2, RESNET HERS® ratings, the U.S. EPA’s EnergyPlus and U.S. DOE’s Building America programs.