Indoor environmental quality research needs for low-energy homes

Potential impacts of low energy homes were reviewed to identify research needs for indoor environmental quality in California's building energy-efficiency programs. California and several nations are planning to implement low-energy or low-carbon requirements for new and existing homes. These homes will be well-insulated, airtight, high-performance buildings, but they will have a narrower margin of safety for control of pollutant sources, moisture, and ventilation. California has a growing fraction of vulnerable persons, such as the elderly and asthmatics. Indoor environmental quality problems will be impacted by climate change, urban densification, and transit-oriented development. Building technology trends expected to affect indoor environmental quality for better or worse include increased use of insulation, thermal mass, fault-detection and diagnostics systems, integrated design, and commissioning. Several studies of low-energy homes have documented problems, such as overheating, poor maintenance of ...