AAAR 32nd Annual Conference
September 30 - October 4, 2013
Oregon Convention Center
Portland, Oregon, USA
Abstract View
The Impact of Energy Efficiency Retrofits on Indoor PM Levels
SARAH FREY, Pierre Herckes, Matthew Fraser, Arizona State University
Abstract Number: 454 Working Group: Indoor Aerosols
Abstract Retrofitting building for energy efficiency often entails improved sealing of the building envelope to decrease demand for air conditioning. As indoor sources of pollution often have a greater impact on exposure of residents than outdoor pollutant levels, this sealing of the building envelope could impact the indoor air quality. To investigate this, we conducted indoor air quality sampling before and after an energy efficiency retrofit of a senior living facility in Phoenix, AZ. At the same time, we also interviewed the residents about their health and any other behaviors (i.e. smoking) that would impact indoor air quality.
We report the indoor PM levels for SunnySlope Manor, an apartment complex for low income seniors run by the City of Phoenix. Initial sampling, before the energy efficiency retrofit, was conducted during the summer of 2010. Follow-up sampling, both immediately after the energy efficiency retrofit and a year after the retrofit, was conducted from June – August, 2011 and 2012, respectively. A total of 52 units were studied in all three panels.
Analysis of the data shows the important parameters that determine if particle concentrations increase as a result of the retrofit, the impact of indoor sources on PM levels, as well as relationships between apartment ventilation rates (measured by blower door tests) and indoor PM levels. We will reveal both the short term and long term trends of PM levels across the three year study.