Energy efficient demand controlled ventilation in single family houses

This paper presents a strategy for a simple demand controlled ventilation system for single family houses where all sensors and controls are located in the air handling unit. The strategy is based on sensing CO2-concentration and moisture content in the outdoor air and exhaust air. The CO2-concentration is used to ensure adequate ventilation during occupancy and the moisture content is used to ensure adequate removal of moisture produced in the house. The ventilation rate can be switched between two flow rates: a high rate and a low rate. The high flow rate is based on existing requirements in the Danish building regulations and the low flow rate is based on minimum requirements in indoor air quality standards. Measurements were performed on an existing single family house where the controls were installed on the existing mechanical ventilation system. The results showed that the ventilation can be reduced to the low rate 37% of the time without significant changes in the CO2-concentration and moisture level in the house. In theory this gives a 35% saving on electric energy for fans. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.