10th International Aerosol Conference
September 2 - September 7, 2018
America's Center Convention Complex
St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Abstract View


The Impacts of Cooking on Indoor Air Quality in Passive Houses

Ryan Militello-Hourigan, SHELLY MILLER, University of Colorado Boulder

     Abstract Number: 1364
     Working Group: Indoor Aerosols

Abstract
Passive houses are a design concept to reduce energy use in buildings by making the structure tight and extremely insulated. This ongoing study is characterizing the indoor air quality of ten passive houses in Colorado by continuously sampling the air with optical particle counters while performing a repeatable prescribed cooking activity. Measurements are recorded while the occupants are away or minimally active for a period of approximately three hours. During this time, HEPA cleaners are also used to remove indoor ambient particulate matter. After the cleaning period, a hot plate is set up in the kitchen and one egg is fried in one tablespoon (15 ml) of canola oil. All buildings tested in this study feature either continuous or automatic ventilation systems with energy recovery and filtration. For each home, this cooking activity is performed while the homes’ ventilation system operates at standard conditions, and then repeated several days later with the homes’ ventilation system in “boost” mode for a period of 20-30 min. For the several days in between, a carbon dioxide monitor is also set up in the bedroom to measure daytime and nighttime concentrations. Preliminary results for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) indicate that outdoor particulate levels have little effect on indoor levels, likely due to filtered incoming air and low infiltration rates. PM2.5 levels quickly increase after cooking, but are slow to decay; concentrations generally stayed above the NAAQS 24-hour limit of 35 µg/m3 for over three hours for both ventilation modes. Using boost mode resulted in lower and higher concentrations for different homes, possibly due to variability in egg emissions. These early tests indicate that current ventilation practices may not be adequate for severe cooking events. Preliminary results for bedroom carbon dioxide levels show high variability across the homes with roughly half experiencing uncomfortable levels at night (> 1000 ppm). All ten passive house tests and analyses will be included in the final presentation.