Premium
Impacts of weatherization on indoor air quality: A field study of 514 homes
Author(s) -
Pigg S.,
Cautley D.,
Francisco P. W.
Publication year - 2018
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.12438
Subject(s) - indoor air quality , environmental science , environmental health , air quality index , indoor air , air pollution , radon , environmental engineering , waste management , environmental protection , business , engineering , geography , meteorology , medicine , chemistry , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics
Residential energy efficiency retrofits continue to be common in the United States, especially through governmental and utility programs. Because of the potential for reduced air exchange, there have been concerns raised regarding the potential for negative impacts on health and safety of residents when air sealing occurs. To address this concern, a study was undertaken in 2009‐2010 to evaluate the indoor air quality impacts of weatherization performed through the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program. Testing was conducted on 514 homes throughout the United States. The results show that weatherization, as performed at the time of the study, could result in small but statistically significant increases in some indoor contaminants such as radon and humidity, while also reducing exposures to elevated carbon monoxide in some homes.