Overview of Mechanical Ventilation and the 2008 Energy Code

2010 Judy Roberson

Sponsored by PG&Es PG&E Energy Training Center

Disclaimer
The information in this document is believed to accurately describe the technologies addressed herein and are meant to clarify and illustrate typical situations, which must be appropriately adapted to individual circumstances. These materials were prepared to be used in conjunction with a free educational program and are not intended to provide legal advice or establish legal standards of reasonable behavior. Neither Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) nor any of its employees and agents: (1) makes any written or oral warranty, expressed or implied, including but not limited to the merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose; (2) assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of any information, apparatus, product, process, method, or policy contained herein; or (3) represents that its use would not infringe any privately owned rights, including but not limited to patents, trademarks or copyrights. Furthermore, the information, statements, representations, graphs and data presented in this report are provided by PG&E as a service to our presented customers. PG&E does not endorse products or manufacturers. Mention of any particular product or manufacturer in this course material should not be construed as an implied endorsement.
2010 Judy Roberson

Residential Mechanical Ventilation is

Confusing Complex Controversial

2010 Judy Roberson

To Avoid Confusion, Understand Purpose

Cooling Open windows Attic ventilation Crawlspace ventilation Intermittent exhaust fans Ceiling fan Central forced-air fan Whole house fan Continuous ventilation for outdoor air supply, IAQ
2010 Judy Roberson

Drying

Moisture control

Indoor air circulation

Indoor-outdoor air exchange

Pre-Test, Residential Ventilation

T T T T T T T T T F F F F F F F F F 1) Outdoor air is usually cleaner (safer to breathe) than indoor air. 2) Inltration (uncontrolled building air leakage) is highest during winter and lowest when weather is mild. 3) The recommended minimum ventilation rate for homes is 0.35 air-changes/hour or 15 cfm/person, whichever is greater. 4) It costs less to condition and ventilate a tight home than it does to condition a leaky one. 5) Mechanical ventilation can protect occupants from 2nd-hand smoke. 6) Intermittent and continuous ventilation in equal amounts are equally effective at reducing occupant exposure to air pollutants. 7) When using exhaust ventilation, is it necessary to provide make-up air to relieve any depressurization caused by the exhaust fan. 8) The only way to lter outdoor (ventilation) air is by using a supply fan. 9) Balanced ventilation maintains a neutral indoor pressure.
2010 Judy Roberson

Title 24 2008 - New Mandatory Feature

For Low-Rise Residential Buildings Ventilation for Indoor Air Quality
All dwelling units shall meet the requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2004 Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings. Window operation is not a permissible method of providing Whole Building Ventilation required in Section 4 of that Standard."

2010 Judy Roberson

From ASHRAE Standard 62.2

"A mechanical exhaust system, supply system, or combination thereof shall be installed for each dwelling unit to provide whole-building ventilation with outdoor air each hour at no less than the rate specified in (Table 4.1a or Equation 4.1a) based on the floor area of the conditioned space and number of bedrooms."

Q fan = 0.01 A floor + 7.5 ( N br + 1)

2010 Judy Roberson

ASHRAE Standard 62.2 Fan Sizing

Ventilation Air Requirements, cfm

Minimum requirements - fans can be larger Based on continuous operation - intermittent fans must be larger CFMs are Delivered

Floor Area (ft2) < 1500 15013000 30014500 45016000 60017500 > 7500

Bedrooms 0-1 30 45 60 75 90 105 2-3 45 60 75 90 105 120 4-5 60 75 90 105 120 135 6-7 75 90 105 120 135 150 >7 90 105 120 135 150 165

- not rated or assumed

2010 Judy Roberson

Sizing Fans for Intermittent Operation

Fans operating half the time must move 2X as much air to get the same ventilation rate
Example; if 75 cfm is required, a fan operating 30 minutes per hour must deliver 150 cfm
From ASHRAE Standard 62.2

Fractional On-Time, F F 35% 35% F < 60% 60% F <80% 80% F

Ventilation Effectiveness, E 0.33 0.50 0.75 1.0

If fan doesn't operate at least once every three hours, the Effectiveness factor applies
Example: a fan running 12 hours on (and off) must move 4X as much air, or 300 cfm

Q fan =
Fan cfm =

Qrequired

F"E

75 cfm = 300 cfm 0.5 " 0.5

!
!

2010 Judy Roberson

Other Standard 62.2 Requirements

Local exhaust fans are required for source control of moisture, odors
Exhaust kitchen bathroom Intermittent 100 cfm 50 cfm Continuous 5 AC/h 20 cfm

If the home has natural draft combustion appliances, exhaust ow is limited to 15 cfm per 100 ft2 oor area
Example for a 2,000 ft2 house with atmospheric water heater, the sum of kitchen range & dryer exhaust cfm cannot exceed

2,000 ft2 "15cfm = 300cfm 100 ft2

2010 Judy Roberson

Other 62.2 Requirements, END

Dryer exhaust must be vented to outside MERV 6 lter required on supply systems Sound ratings for fans in living space
Continuous, 1 sone Intermittent, 3 sones

Doors to attached garage must be weatherstripped Minimize air transfer between adjacent homes
2010 Judy Roberson

Categories of Indoor Air Pollutants

Outdoors (carbon monoxide, radon, etc)
Most dangerous Ventilation can't control, must not introduce them

Occupant Source Moisture & Odors

Generated in rooms with plumbing Intermittent exhaust is necessary

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)

Emitted by building nishes, furnishings Whatever occupants bring into the home Continuous outdoor air supply is necessary
2010 Judy Roberson

Intermittent Exhaust Fans

Essential for controlling indoor moisture Needed in every 'wet room' If absent, don't work, or too noisy, install ENERGY STAR fans
Quiet (low sone), High efcacy (cfm/Watt) Fluorescent lamps (if any)

Broan-NuTone or Panasonic

Duct to outdoors, with backdraft damper

2010 Judy Roberson

Intermittent Exhaust Fan Controls

Best - DeHumidistat DeHumidistat
Set to maximum desired indoor relative humidity (e.g., 50% RH) Fan runs when RH exceeds setpoint

Good - Fan Delay Timer

Time interval of 5 to 60 minutes Occupant selects desired operating time for exhaust fan

Tamarack Airetrak

2010 Judy Roberson

Bath Exhaust Fan Sizing - Best Practice

From the Home Ventilating Institute (www.HVI.org)
Minimum Ventilation Rate Bathroom Size
(Note: higher ventilation rates are also acceptable and will have a minimal energy impact)

Less than 50 sq. feet 50-100 sq. feet

50 cfm 1 cfm per sq. foot oor area Add for each xture:

More than 100 sq. feet

50 cfm toilet 50 cfm shower 50 cfm bathtub 50 cfm jetted tub

2010 Judy Roberson

Continuous Ventilation for Indoor Air Quality

Introduces outdoor air Low volume, ~ 100 cfm Continuous Include fans, ducts, controls fans, Important tool for IAQ problems New mechanical design element

2010 Judy Roberson

Ventilation of Homes: A Paradigm Shift

Ventilation by Inltration
Leaky house Uncontrolled Unreliable Expensive Drafty Status quo

Mechanical Ventilation
Tight houses Controlled Consistent Affordable Comfortable New paradigm

2010 Judy Roberson

Ventilation and Energy-Efciency

Can we have both ?? Only if we
Tighten homes as much as possible Use the most efcient, effective ventilation systems

Ventilation Experts Agree!

It costs less to condition and ventilate a tight home than to condition a leaky one

2010 Judy Roberson

Controlling Building Air Flow

Three Driving Forces
Wind Stack Effect Mechanical - fans

Natural forces are unreliable, inconsistent

Vary from zero to 100 times more air than needed Highest in winter, lowest when weather is mild

For a small fan to control indoor-outdoor air ow, the building must be extremely tight
2010 Judy Roberson

Ventilation & Building Air Tightness

Not only do tight homes need mechanical ventilation, but mechanical ventilation needs tight homes
3 ACH50 (1.5 SLA) for exhaust or supply systems 2 ACH50 (1.0 SLA) for attached (multifamily) homes 1 ACH50 (0.5 SLA) for balanced ventilation systems

Example: for a 2,400 ft2 house with 9 ft ceilings:

ACH50 =

1000 CFM50 " 60 = 2.8 21,600

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Working with Pressure

The tighter the house,
The easier it is to condition indoor air The easier to control indoor-outdoor airow
The Energy Conservatory

The more easily it can be de/pressurized by a fan

Pressure Happens! But not all pressure is negative!!

Negative indoor pressure can cause problems Positive indoor pressure is advantageous *
* Except in extremely cold climates, e.g., Alaska
2010 Judy Roberson

Basic Types of Mechanical Ventilation Exhaust

Removes indoor air Depressurizes house

Supply
Delivers outdoor air Pressurizes the house

Balanced
Exhaust, supply fans fans move same volume of air at same time Does not affect indoor pressure
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Qualities of a Good Ventilation System

Does no harm High-quality fan
Quiet - sone rating, lower is better Efcient - cfm/Watt, higher is better

Operates continuously Filters, tempers outdoor air before delivery Provides good indoor air distribution Accessible for maintenance
2010 Judy Roberson

Consider the Occupants

Occupants need information about ventilation
Purpose Components Operation & maintenance

Occupants will disable a system that is

Noisy Drafty Expensive to operate

2010 Judy Roberson

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Exhaust Ventilation Basics

Most common Affordable to install & operate Source of air is uncontrolled
(from attic, crawlspace, garage?)

Incoming air cannot be ltered air Negative pressure brings outdoor pollutants indoors Easily disrupted by closed doors Do not use in tight homes with depressurization hazards
2010 Judy Roberson

Supply Ventilation Basics

Source of air is controlled, Outdoor air is ltered Requires supply air ductwork Air is reliably delivered to bedrooms & living areas If continuous, positive pressure helps keep outdoor pollutants out Can be energy-efcient or extremely inefcient, depending on the fan used

2010 Judy Roberson

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Balanced Ventilation Basics

Fantech Air Exchanger (no heat recovery)

More expensive to install & operate; Two fans (exhaust & supply) move same amount of air at the same time Supply fan lters outdoor air Indoor air exhausted from rooms with plumbing; Outdoor air ducted to bedrooms and living areas Two airstreams makes heat recovery possible, which improves comfort Cost-effective only in cold climates Difcult to install properly
2010 Judy Roberson

How Much Ventilation do You Need?

It Depends on on
Number of people Lifestyle, behavior Pollutant loads Occupant sensitivity

ASHRAE Standard 62 recommended minimum ventilation rate for homes is:

0.35 Air Changes per Hour or 15 cfm/person, whichever is higher (usually 0.35 AC/h) Lowest minimum residential ventilation rate in the world

It Varies Varies
From person to person From house to house In the same house over time

Home Ventilating Institute (www.HVI.org) recommends at least 0.5 AC/h

2010 Judy Roberson

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Mechanical Ventilation vs Total Ventilation

Standard 62.2
0.20 AC/h mechanical, delivered mechanical, + 0.15 AC/h inltration, assumed 0.35 AC/h minimum ventilation rate

But inltration can't be relied upon for ventilation If actual inltration is lower than assumed (e.g., if a new home is tighter than average) the home will be under-ventilated wrt 0.35 AC/h
2010 Judy Roberson

Ensuring any Minimum Ventilation Rate

The total ventilation rate is never less than the ventilation fan ow The only ventilation you can count on is the ventilation fan ow To ensure any minimum ventilation rate, size the ventilation fan to deliver that rate and operate the fan continuously
Inltration, windows provide supplemental ventilation
2010 Judy Roberson

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Simple Ventilation Fan Sizing

Decide what minimum ventilation rate you want
For example, at least 0.35 Air-Changes/hour (AC/h)

Calculate the house volume (one Air Change) (one

2,000 ft2 oor area x 9 ft ave ceiling height = 18,000 ft3

Calculate the cfm needed to provide that AC/h

18,000 ft 3 0.35AC hour ft 3 x x = 105 AirChange hour 60min min

2010 Judy Roberson

Benets of Continuous Ventilation

Continuous ventilation is much more effective (than intermittent) at controlling VOC levels Fans that operate continuously are smaller smaller
Quieter Less expensive More efcient to operate (lower W/cfm) Easier to t in conditioned space

Continuous operation is not noticeable, obnoxious

No on/off fan noise every hour No intermittent drafts of untempered air
2010 Judy Roberson

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Supply Ventilation
Misconception
Supply ventilation must be integrated with a central forced-air conditioning system

Reality
Supply ventilation can - and should be independent of the forced-air system Unless the blower is variable speed with a brushless permanent magnet (BPM) motor designed to operate continuously and efciently for ventilation only

2010 Judy Roberson

Why Not Use a typical Forced-Air Fan?

#1 - Oversized (10X) fans are inefcient, not designed for for continuous operation #2 - Occupants cannot tolerate
Noise of huge fan turning on & off every hour Untempered air from registers much of the year High operating cost, even when intermittent

#3 - Cannot introduce even minimal outdoor air during intermittent operation

2010 Judy Roberson

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Relative Ventilation Fan Efcacy

OA = outdoor air Ventilation System (continuous operation, UON)
Supply - integrated with an efcient forced-air system Exhaust Supply - independent of the forced-air system Balanced Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) Supply - integrated with a standard forced-air system (intermittent operation)

cfm OA / Watt
(used by Energy Star)

Watt / cfm OA
(used by CA Title 24)

higher is better 8 4 2 0.8 0.17

lower is better 0.12 0.25 0.5 1.2 6

Ratio best/worst 50 24 12 5 1

2010 Judy Roberson

Balanced Ventilation
Misconception
Balanced ventilation is best because it maintains neutral indoor pressure

Reality
Balanced ventilation cannot keep other driving forces from de/pressurizing the home Positive indoor pressure is better than neutral Real advantage is ability to recover heat from outgoing air to temper incoming air
2010 Judy Roberson

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Heat & Enthalpy Recovery Ventilation

Transfer heat between exhaust & supply air streams HRV = Heat Recovery Ventilation
Transfers sensible heat (only) From warmer to cooler airstream Rate of heat transfer depends on T

ERV = Enthalpy Recovery Ventilation

Also transfers moisture (latent heat) From wetter to dryer airstream Rate of moisture transfer depends on M
2010 Judy Roberson

Heat Recovery Ventilation

Outdoors
supply heat recovery core

Indoors
exhaust supply

exhaust

Summer (air-conditioning) condition is shown Exhaust & supply airstreams cross (but do not mix) Heat is transferred from warmer to cooler airstream
2010 Judy Roberson

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Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV)

Misconception
HRVs signicantly reduce operating costs

Reality
Two fans use energy instead of one Recovery efciency depends on indoor-outdoor T, which is low in California Heat recovery improves comfort, but is only cost-effective in very cold climates

2010 Judy Roberson

Enthalpy Recovery Ventilation (ERV)

Misconception
An ERV will help control indoor moisture

Reality
An ERV is not a dehumidier In humid weather, ERVs reject outdoor moisture; in cold weather, they retain indoor moisture When indoor air is wetter than outdoor air, an ERV will keep indoor moisture indoors

2010 Judy Roberson

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An ERV is not a Dehumidier

Outdoors
supply energy recovery core

Indoors
exhaust supply

exhaust

Helps reject outdoor moisture in humid climates, IF air-conditioner latent capacity controls indoor RH Helps retain indoor moisture in hot dry climates Does NOT get rid of indoor moisture if outdoor air is dryer
2010 Judy Roberson

HRVs (not ERVs) are recommended in CA

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Advice - How to Meet the Requirement

To just meet the code requirement, use an ENERGY STAR exhaust fan continuously If you want ltered air, positive indoor pressure, and reliable air distribution to bedrooms, ventilate continuously using an independent supply fan If you want the best system money can buy, use heat recovery ventilation, but tighten the home as much as ventilation, possible, and commission to ensure proper installation
2010 Judy Roberson

Judy Roberson
Residential Building Scientist and Ventilation Consultant Home Office: 925-631-6642 jaroberson@mac.com

2010 Judy Roberson

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