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The effects of an energy efficiency retrofit on indoor air quality
Author(s) -
Frey S. E.,
Destaillats H.,
Cohn S.,
Ahrentzen S.,
Fraser M. P.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
indoor air
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.387
H-Index - 99
eISSN - 1600-0668
pISSN - 0905-6947
DOI - 10.1111/ina.12134
Subject(s) - apartment , indoor air quality , environmental science , environmental health , sampling (signal processing) , air quality index , phoenix , indoor air , environmental engineering , architectural engineering , engineering , geography , civil engineering , medicine , meteorology , electrical engineering , metropolitan area , filter (signal processing) , archaeology
To investigate the impacts of an energy efficiency retrofit, indoor air quality and resident health were evaluated at a low‐income senior housing apartment complex in Phoenix, Arizona, before and after a green energy building renovation. Indoor and outdoor air quality sampling was carried out simultaneously with a questionnaire to characterize personal habits and general health of residents. Measured indoor formaldehyde levels before the building retrofit routinely exceeded reference exposure limits, but in the long‐term follow‐up sampling, indoor formaldehyde decreased for the entire study population by a statistically significant margin. Indoor PM levels were dominated by fine particles and showed a statistically significant decrease in the long‐term follow‐up sampling within certain resident subpopulations (i.e. residents who report smoking and residents who had lived longer at the apartment complex).