BE-VENT:The Impact of Occupant Behaviour on Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in Irish Energy-efficient Homes

Project Description

As the building air tightness is increased, it is essential that an effective ventilation strategy is implemented and maintained to ensure a good air exchange rate and the effective removal of such indoor air pollutants. Occupant behaviour plays an important role in generating indoor air pollutants at home and little is known about the factors that influence how occupants interact with building ventilation, and how this interaction impacts on residential exposure to indoor air pollution. The BE-VENT project aims to provide insight into the factors which influence how occupants interact with ventilation systems in energy efficient homes in Ireland. The objective is to design, implement and evaluate a behavioural intervention programme to improve the level of awareness regarding indoor air quality, and to promote positive engagement with building ventilation systems. A number of versions of the intervention will be developed, with at least one version being cost-effective to scale up to the general population. The research will result in an intervention that will reduce the health risks of living in poorly ventilated homes, including asthma, allergies, and poor mental health and wellbeing. BE-VENT will support the transposition of the EPBD requirements in Ireland.