Ventilation requirements for high-rise residential buildings are among changes being proposed for the Atlanta-based American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ (ASHRAE’s) indoor air quality standard.
Three proposed addenda to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2004, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, are available for comment until May 1. To obtain drafts of or comment on proposed addenda e, f and h, visit (www.ashrae.org/standards).
Addendum 62.1h would add requirements for high-rise residential buildings to the standard’s ventilation rate table. These ventilation rates are somewhat higher than the residential rates included in ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings, according to Dennis Stanke, chair of the Standard 62.1 committee.
“Standard 62.2 bases its rates on the assumption that infiltration always provides some ventilation and on the requirement that each dwelling unit includes operable windows for supplemental ventilation,” he says. “The Standard 62.1 rates, on the other hand, assume that ventilation requirements are independent of infiltration and operable windows.”
For example, the required mechanical ventilation rate for a 2-bedroom apartment or condo could double compared to Standard 62.1-2001. Stanke notes that increased outside air rates can mean more outside air-conditioning tons, especially in humid climates.
Addendum 62.1e would add an informative appendix that summarizes the requirements for documentation found throughout the standard. “Good documentation aids communication between all parties involved with the design, installation, operation and maintenance of ventilation systems,” Stanke says. “Reducing communication failures reduces building-ventilation and indoor-air-quality problems.”
Addendum 62.1f would change the purpose and scope of the standard to make them more consistent with its body. The purpose retains its dual goals of providing indoor air quality acceptable to human occupants that minimizes the potential for adverse health effects.
The scope no longer includes single-family houses or multiple-family buildings with three or fewer stories. These structures are covered by Standard 62.2. The scope also states that the standard includes no specific prescribed ventilation rates for smoking-permitted spaces or for improperly separated non-smoking spaces (since these spaces also might contain environmental tobacco smoke).
“Although they contain no specific compliance requirements, statements of scope and purpose must be clear and accurate to help users of the standard apply it properly,” he says.
This information was reprinted with permission from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), an international organization of 55,000 persons. Its sole objective is to advance through research, standards writing, publishing, and continuing education the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world. To find out more, visit (www.ashrae.org).
