The Effect of High Occupancy Density on IAQ, Moisture Conditions and Energy Use in Apartments

Kristina Mjörnell, Dennis Johansson and Hans Bagge
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Kristina Mjörnell: RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, 412 58 Gothenburg, Sweden
Dennis Johansson: Division of Building Services, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
Hans Bagge: Division of Building Physics, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 23, 1-11

Abstract: Apartments built in Sweden during the record years 1961–1975 with the aim to remedy the housing shortage and abolish poor standards, were designed for a normal-sized family of 2–4 persons. The mechanical ventilation system, if existing, was primarily designed to ensure an air exchange in the apartment according to Swedish building regulations. During the last few years, the number of overcrowded apartments has increased due to housing shortage in general but also due to migration. Another aspect is that the ventilation in many apartments built during the record years is already insufficient at normal occupant load. The question is how doubling or tripling the number of occupants and thus, the moisture load will affect the risk of bad air quality and moisture damage. To find out, simulations were made to estimate whether it is possible to obtain sufficient air quality and low risk of moisture damage by only increasing the ventilation rates in existing systems or introducing new ventilation systems with and without heat recovery and what the consequence would be in terms of the additional energy demand. Measurements from earlier studies of CO 2 and moisture supply in Swedish apartment buildings were used as input data.

Keywords: occupancy density; moisture conditions; energy use; indoor air quality; ventilation rate (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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