Impact of Air Infiltration on IAQ and Ventilation Efficiency in Higher Educational Classrooms in Spain

Irene Poza-Casado, Raquel Gil-Valverde, Alberto Meiss and Miguel Ángel Padilla-Marcos
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Irene Poza-Casado: RG Architecture & Energy, Universidad de Valladolid, Avda/Salamanca, 18-47014 Valladolid, Spain
Raquel Gil-Valverde: RG Architecture & Energy, Universidad de Valladolid, Avda/Salamanca, 18-47014 Valladolid, Spain
Alberto Meiss: RG Architecture & Energy, Universidad de Valladolid, Avda/Salamanca, 18-47014 Valladolid, Spain
Miguel Ángel Padilla-Marcos: RG Architecture & Energy, Universidad de Valladolid, Avda/Salamanca, 18-47014 Valladolid, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: Indoor air quality (IAQ) in educational buildings is a key element of the students’ well-being and academic performance. Window-opening behavior and air infiltration, generally used as the sole ventilation sources in existing educational buildings, often lead to unhealthy levels of indoor pollutants and energy waste. This paper evaluates the conditions of natural ventilation in classrooms in order to study how climate conditions affect energy waste. For that purpose, the impact of the air infiltration both on the IAQ and on the efficiency of the ventilation was evaluated in two university classrooms with natural ventilation in the Continental area of Spain. The research methodology was based on site sensors to analyze IAQ parameters such as CO 2 , Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC), Particulate Matter (PM), and other climate parameters for a week during the cold season. Airtightness was then assessed within the classrooms and the close built environment by means of pressurization tests, and infiltration rates were estimated. The obtained results were used to set up a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model to evaluate the age of the local air and the ventilation efficiency value. The results revealed that ventilation cannot rely only on air infiltration, and, therefore, specific controlled ventilation strategies should be implemented to improve IAQ and to avoid excessive energy loss.

Keywords: indoor air quality; thermal comfort; airtightness; natural ventilation; educational buildings (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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