Indoor air quality in low-energy houses in the Netherlands: Does mechanical ventilation provide a healthy indoor environment?

Increasing environmental awareness has led to new, energy-efficient building standards such as the German Passivhaus-standard. This study was designed to investigate the indoor air quality (IAQ) of four different Dutch low-energy houses built according to this standard. Air flow, indoor air pollutants (CO2, CO, H2CO), temperature (T), and relative humidity (RH) were measured over a period of several weeks. The residents kept a logbook of activities and filled in a questionnaire regarding use of the facilities. In some cases, wrong usage of the ventilation system resulted in high levels of CO2.... Mehr ...