Indoor air quality training programs

IAQ Control for Healthy, Resilient, Low Energy Buildings (USA)

William P. Bahnfleth, PhD, PE, Professor of Architectural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University

Decades of evidence indicate that current minimum standards for indoor air quality (IAQ) are responsible for avoidable healthcare costs and productivity losses resulting from normal levels of indoor air contaminants. Recent experience also shows that buildings designed to such standards lack the resilience to protect occupants effectively during infectious disease outbreaks and outdoor air events like wildfires. However, while there is growing recognition that IAQ standards and best practices should change, there is also concern that improving IAQ will increase the energy consumption of buildings and impede progress toward environmental protection goals. This program will review some of the fundamental concerns regarding current IAQ standards and explore methods for improving IAQ with little or no adverse impact on energy use. In particular, it will consider the potential for more extensive and sophisticated use of dynamic IAQ control to deliver high indoor environmental quality where and when it is needed.