Page 56 - Occupational Health & Safety, September 2017

INDOOR AIR QUALITY
installed improperly. System imbalances occur when components of the HVAC system are improperly adjusted or installed and can create pressure differences (too much circulating air creating a draft or too little, circulating air creating stagnancy).
Unfortunately, most ventilation fans are not living up to their cfm claims, which can lead to costly compliance failure issues, ex- pensive call-backs, IAQ problems, increased construction defects and warranty work, painful litigation, and angry, vengeful buyers.
A recent testing by Lawrence Berkeley National Labora- tory found that of all the bathroom fans they evaluated, 48 per- cent failed the required airflow standards outlined in ASHRAE 62.2.2013. Many builders going for ENERGY STAR have learned that fans rated at 50 cfm generally don’t cut it and have turned to installing fans rated at 110 cfm in all their homes. One case study of Habitat for Humanity houses that were going for certification in the ENERGY STAR new homes program tested nine fans, all rated at 110 cfm. Only five of these 110 cfm rated fans beat the 51 cfm mark. They achieved between 51-85 cfm, none coming close to the 110 cfm rating. And the four fans that failed? Their exhaust flow rates were 30, 45, and 46 cfm.
Conclusion
Whole-house mechanical ventilation is on the rise, driven by ad- vances in building design, building codes, and an ever-more-dis- cerning consumer base that recognize the importance of a healthy home environment. Since 2008, single-family detached homes
with whole-house ventilation systems have grown from 9 percent to 27 percent of all new home construction, according to the 2015 Annual Builder Practices Survey conducted by Home Innovation Research Labs. Due to states’ adoption of the 2012 International Building Code, more homes will be requiring mechanical ventila- tion, which will help alleviate moisture issues and maintain healthy indoor environmental quality for home owners.
As new technologies arise and new public hazards are identi- fied, working with manufacturers to come up with new products is a trend that will grow in the years to come. “Building tight and ventilating right” remains the recipe, both for a healthy home and a successful homebuilder.
Jim Shelton, Vice President, Panasonic Eco Solutions North America (PESNA), is driving the next generation of Panasonic solutions to meet builders’ ever-changing ventilation needs. For more than five years, he has led the Eco Products division of PESNA and in 2016 was promoted to vice president.
REFERENCES
1. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2017/05/prweb14298214.htm
2. http://business.panasonic.com/solutions-hvacsolutions-ventilationforthe-
homeowner-exhaustsupplybalancedventilation
3. http://www.usgbc.org/leed
4. https://www.energystar.gov/products/how-product-earns-energy-star-label
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