A Multi‑pollutant Ventilation Strategy Under the Indoor Air Quality Procedure for Single‑family Houses

Abstract

Balancing energy consumption and indoor air quality (IAQ) in single‑family houses is challenging because cooking‑generated PM 2.5 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are episodic and occupancy‑dependent, and prescriptive ventilation rates cannot follow these transient loads. The ASHRAE 62.1 Indoor Air Quality Procedure (IAQP) offers a performance‑based alternative that permits reduced ventilation when contaminant levels remain within limits, but a validated residential strategy that combines real‑time occupancy with continuous CO 2 , PM 2.5 , and VOC sensing has not been demonstrated. This study proposes an occupancy–indoor environmental quality (OCC‑IEQ) strategy and evaluates it alongside fixed‑thermostat, schedule‑based (SCH), and occupancy‑triggered (OCC) controls using a co‑simulation of a multi‑zone house. The strategies are assessed against IAQ limits of PM 2.5 ≤ 15 µg/m 3 , CO 2 ≤ 900 ppm, and TVOC ≤ 500 µg/m 3 , with a minimum energy saving target of 15%. The OCC‑IEQ strategy achieves a 33.3 % reduction in annual HVAC energy cost, and maintains all three pollutants within limits. The schedule‑based and occupancy‑triggered strategies failed to control PM 2.5 , and the occupancy‑triggered strategy yielded limited energy savings due to overnight temperature drift. By treating permissible concentration bands as an operational resource, OCC‑IEQ dynamically modulates the outdoor air fraction to balance energy efficiency and indoor air quality protection. These findings demonstrate that a performance‑based multi‑pollutant ventilation strategy guided by the IAQP can achieve substantial energy savings and comprehensive IAQ compliance in dwellings.