2012-improvement of indor living environment by occupants preferences for heat recovery ventilators...

Upload: leon68

Post on 03-Jun-2018

223 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    1/17

    Original Paper

    Indoor and uiltiltEnvironment Indoor Built Environ 2012;21;4:486502

    Accepted: October 17, 2011

    Improvement of IndoorLiving Environment byOccupants Preferencesfor Heat RecoveryVentilators in High-RiseResidential Buildings

    Sang-Min Kima Ji-Hyun Leeb

    Hyeun Jun Moonc Sooyoung Kimd

    aInstitute of Technology & Quality Development, Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd.,

    Yongin, Kyeonggido, South KoreabGraduate School of Culture Technology, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology,

    Daejeon, South KoreacDepartment of Architectural Engineering, Dankook University, Yongin, Kyeonggido South KoreadDepartment of Housing and Interior Design, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea

    Key Words

    Heat recovery ventilator E Energy savings E Indoor

    air quality EVentilation rates EOperating schedule E

    Residential building

    Abstract

    This study examined the influence of heat recovery

    ventilators (HRVs) on energy savings and indoor airquality (IAQ) in high-rise residential buildings. Field

    measurements were performed in four residential

    units, which were validated by computer simulations

    and estimated the total annual energy consumption.

    The operation schedules for HRVs were determined by

    a survey of residents. Field measurement results

    indicate that HRVs could effectively improve IAQ and

    afford effective energy savings. The indoor concentra-

    tions of formaldehyde were reduced by 54.6% after

    HRVs were operated for 24 h. The initial concentration

    was reduced by 82% after 168 h. Toluene was the

    dominant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the

    indoor air. Its initial concentration was reduced by 50%

    and other VOCs were also reduced by 40.1% to 53.1%

    after HRVs were operated. Annual energy savings of

    up to 20.26% were predicted when HRVs wereoperated for 24 h continuously, exchanging sensible

    and latent heat. HRVs could save energy more

    effectively in winter than in summer due to the greater

    temperature difference between outdoor and indoor

    air. Based on the preferred operation schedules of

    homes surveyed, an annual energy savings could be

    as high as 8.52%.

    The Author(s), 2011. Reprints and permissions:

    http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.navDOI: 10.1177/1420326X11429714

    Accessible online at http://ibe.sagepub.com

    Figures 323 appear in colour online

    Sooyoung Kim,Department of Housing and Interior Design, Yonsei University, Seoul, South

    Korea. Tel. 82-2-2123-3142, Fax 82-2-313-3139,

    E-Mail [email protected]

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    2/17

    Introduction

    Material with high thermal resistance is generally

    applied to building envelope with air-tightness to save

    energy in high-rise residential buildings that have higher

    window to wall ratios on their facade. These building

    envelopes with appropriate shading devices are ofteneffective in utilising daylight to control electric lighting

    systems in buildings [1,2]. The tightly sealed envelope

    would be effective to save energy, but it could reduce air

    infiltration and deteriorates indoor air quality [3].

    Insufficient ventilation rates could increase the concentra-

    tion of harmful air pollutants such as formaldehyde and

    volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and this is now an

    important part of building environmental assessment of

    green building certification together with the appropriate

    building services [4].

    In high-rise residential buildings where natural ventila-

    tion through envelopes is limited due to tightly-sealed

    material, ventilation is primarily dependent on mechanical

    systems. Due to this, ventilation strategies are required to

    improve indoor air quality and save energy effectively

    [5,6]. Alternatively, heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) that

    recycle the heat ejected from indoor space could effectively

    be applied to buildings in some European and Asian

    countries [7].

    Various studies were performed to examine the applic-

    ability and contribution of HRVs to building energy

    savings [816]. The results of these studies implied that the

    annual heating energy could be effectively saved by theapplication of HRVs, and the energy savings would vary

    according to the outdoor climatic conditions that affected

    sensible and latent heat. The recovery of sensible and

    latent heat could reduce annual energy consumption of up

    to 40%, and the optimum control strategies depended on

    the ratio of latent to sensible heat [17,18]. The application

    of HRVs has been demonstrated by previous studies and

    would reduce heating energy consumption, but the

    operation of HRVs in cold climate may not be economical

    when the cooling set-point was above 248C [8,17].

    A study, which was performed to examine the applic-

    ability and energy saving by HRVs in several cities, have

    shown that heating energy could be saved by 20%,

    although this study was limited to heating season only

    [19]. Other study that was conducted to investigate the

    energy performance of HRVs in high latitude regions

    showed that the energy savings achieved by the use of

    HRVs would exceed the operational costs of the ventila-

    tion system [20]. The contributions of HRVs to the

    improvement of indoor air quality were also examined

    under a variety of conditions [2125]. These studies

    showed that the application of HRVs in buildings can

    contribute to improve ventilation rates with significant

    energy savings.

    Although the effects of HRVs in energy consumption

    and ventilation in buildings have been examined in a

    variety of studies, they were considered separately. Energysaving effects with improved indoor air quality according

    to the variations of controls for HRVs need to be studied

    simultaneously when HRVs are applied to high-rise

    residential buildings in real-world situations. It is well

    known that effective applications of HRVs are to optimise

    air supply and minimise energy consumption keeping IAQ

    within ranges recommended by guidelines [26,27].

    However, HRVs are usually controlled individually by

    residents according to their personal preferences.

    Continuous operation of HRVs would improve IAQ

    effectively, but HRVs are usually operated only during

    limited hours, when residents are at home. Therefore, this

    study examined the effect of HRVs on IAQ and energy

    savings under various control schemes in high-rise

    residential buildings. The HRV operation schedules

    preferred by real high-rise residents were examined to

    determine the associated energy savings and most appro-

    priate control options for HRVs in real-world settings.

    Annual energy savings, according to preferred operation

    schedules, are estimated and discussed.

    Field measurements were performed in high-rise resi-

    dential building, and computer simulations were con-

    ducted to validate field results and predict annual energysavings. A survey was also performed for high-rise

    building residents to determine frequently-used operation

    schedules for HRVs. Additional computer simulations

    were then performed to assess the energy savings of HRVs

    under these preferred operation schedules.

    Research Methods

    Field Measurements

    The high-rise residential buildings examined in this

    study were located in Seoul, South Korea (latitude:

    37834N, longitude: 126858E), and were built in 2003

    with steel reinforced concrete structures. The building that

    used for summer measurements (Building A) has 69

    floors, and two identical units on the 39th and 40th floors

    were used for measurements. The building used for winter

    measurements (Building B) has 46 floors, and meas-

    urements were performed in two identical units on the 10th

    Indoor Living Environment in Residential Buildings Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 487

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    3/17

    and 11th floors. The floor plans of the units used for the

    measurements are shown in Figures 1 and 2.

    All units were prepared for general residential use.

    Built-in wooden cabinets and bookshelves were installed in

    kitchens and living rooms, respectively. The cabinet and

    bookshelves were manufactured by a particular company

    according to a standard specification for general

    application to residential units. Hence, approximately

    equal chemical compounds were embedded in them, and

    the emission rates of chemical compounds from them were

    considered to be equal, although the rates were not exactly

    monitored. The cabinet and bookshelves were installed in

    each residential unit on the same day of the field

    measurements. There were no neighbouring buildings

    along the main facades of this residential building, and

    no shadows cast over the building by any nearby

    structures. Venetian blinds with 2.54 cm between slats

    were installed in all windows. The floor was furnished with

    flooring on top of the Ondol, which is a radiant floor

    heating system commonly used in Korea [2831]. The

    thermal properties of the buildings that are relevant to

    energy consumption are summarised in Table 1.

    A ceiling-mounted individual air-conditioning system

    was used in each unit during the summer, and a district

    heating system was used for the Ondolduring the winter to

    keep the indoor temperature within comfortable ranges as

    suggested by the guidelines [32]. The air-conditioning

    system supplied air to each room of each unit, and a

    centralised ventilation system was applied to return the air

    to the outdoors.

    Sensible and total heat exchange types of HRVs were

    installed in units and controlled to modulate ventilation

    rates. The HRV control conditions are summarised in

    Table 2. Air supply diffusers were installed in the living

    rooms and the four bedrooms of each unit. Diffusers for

    returning air were installed in the kitchens, dining rooms,

    Fig. 1. Floor plan (Building A).

    Fig. 2. Floor plan (Building B).

    488 Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 Kim et al.

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    4/17

    and living rooms of all units and connected to the HRVs

    by ducts. The layouts of the ducts and diffusers are shown

    in Figures 1 and 2.

    To examine the influence of HRVs on energy savings

    and IAQ, the HRVs installed in buildings A and B were

    operated according to the control settings shown in

    Table 3. In Case 1, both the supplied and returned air

    passed through the HRV and participated in heatexchange. The ventilation rate by the HRV was set at

    0.5 air change rate per hour (ACH), satisfying the national

    building code of Korea, 2003, during the time period when

    the field measurements were performed [33].

    Different countries have different ventilation rates set

    for buildings [3438]. In Korea, the recommended

    ventilation rate set in the Building Codes, 2003 for the

    residential buildings was 0.5 ACH, when this study was

    performed. It should be noted that the revised Building

    Code, announced in 2006, would require the rate to be not

    less than 0.7 ACH, not including natural ventilation [38].

    Since this study was performed in 2003, the ventilation

    rate controlled in measurements was based on 0.5 ACH.

    For Case 2, the HRV was shut off, so that no air passed

    through it. Thus, infiltration through envelopes was the

    only source of ventilation. For Case 3, the HRV was

    operated without a core part where heat exchange occurs.

    Accordingly, outdoor and indoor air passed through the

    HRV without exchanging heat. The ventilation rate was

    set at 0.5 ACH. For Case 4, the HRV was shut off for 24 h

    and the core part was removed. Thus, no air passed

    through the HRV, and no heat exchange occurred. The

    source of ventilation was equal to that of Case 2. For all

    cases, the indoor temperature was kept at 268C.

    The HRVs for Cases 5, 6, 7 and 8 in building B were

    controlled according to the same settings that were applied

    to Cases 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively, except that the indoor

    temperatures were kept at 238C for all four cases. For alleight control cases, natural ventilation rates through

    windows were measured in Room 3 and in the living

    room of each unit using the tracer gas concentration decay

    method, which has been used effectively to determine

    ventilation rates by infiltration and mechanical systems in

    buildings [39,40].

    In this study, the ventilation rates by the tracer gas

    concentration decay method were measured using a multi-

    gas monitor and multi-point samplers. In this study, the

    tracer gas concentration decay method was used to

    determine ventilation rates in the space. A multi-gas

    monitor and multi-point samplers were used to monitor

    the concentration variation in CO2. Three samplers were

    installed at the height of 1.2 m in the Room 3 and living

    room. One sampler was positioned at the centre of each

    room, and the other two samplers were positioned along a

    diagonal line of the Room 3 and living room. The distance

    between each sampler was 1.5 m.

    Before data monitoring procedures for the concentra-

    tion began, CO2 gas was sprayed and introduced into the

    Table 3. Control settings for heat recovery ventilators (HRVs)

    Case Bldg. Floor HRV control condition Season

    Operation Heat Exchange Core part Air passed

    1 A 39 24 h ON Exchanged Installed Passed Summer

    2 A 39 24 h OFF Not exchanged Installed Not passed

    3 A 40 24 h ON Not exchanged Removed Passed

    4 A 40 24 h OFF Not exchanged Removed Not passed

    5 B 10 24 h ON Exchanged Installed Passed Winter

    6 B 10 24 h OFF Not exchanged Installed Not passed7 B 11 24 h ON Not exchanged Removed Passed

    8 B 11 24 h OFF Not exchanged Removed Not passed

    Table 1. Building thermal properties

    Properties Building A Building B

    Floor area (m2) 207 217

    Ceiling height (m) 2.4 2.4

    U-value of window (W/m2 K) 3.40 3.34

    U-value of wall (W/m2 K) 2.74 2.65

    Ratio of window to wall (%) 43 41

    Table 2. Conditions of HRVs

    Item Bldg. A Bldg. B

    Heat exchange type Sensible and

    latent

    Sensible

    Efficiency of latent heat exchange (%) 39.3 N/A

    Efficiency of sensible heat exchange (%) 62.5 55.1

    Indoor Living Environment in Residential Buildings Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 489

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    5/17

    tested rooms and mixed by a fan. Once the CO2 gas

    was mixed completely with the air in the space, the

    reduction in CO2 gas concentration was monitored. The

    data monitoring was performed for 6 h with a monitoring

    interval of 12 min. The mean value of CO2 concentration

    monitored by the three samplers was used to determine

    ventilation rates in the space. The determination wasperformed based on the theoretical background that has

    been approved and effectively used in other previous

    research [3943].

    The concentrations of indoor air contaminants were

    monitored for Cases 1, 4, 5 and 8 to examine the effects of

    HRVs on the dilution of air pollutants. The concentration

    of formaldehyde was measured in Room 3 and in the

    living room of each unit. The concentrations of VOCs

    were monitored in the living room of each unit. The

    measurement was performed at a height of 1.2 m in the

    centre of each room.

    Data monitoring began 1 month after construction was

    completed in each unit. Data monitoring intervals for

    formaldehyde were: 5 h, 10 h, 1 day, 5 days and 7 days

    after the conditions for HRVs outlined in Table 3 were

    initiated. The concentrations of VOCs were monitored

    once, 5 h after the initiation, based on Korean building

    codes used to assess indoor air quality [33,38].

    To examine cooling and heating energy consumption,

    the total amount of electricity consumed by the air-

    conditioning system, fans, and HRV controllers was

    measured. The energy used by the Ondol was also

    calculated based on input calories of district hot waterused for heating in each unit. Data monitoring in Building

    A was performed from June 1 to August 30, 2003, and

    monitoring in Building B was performed from January 1

    to February 28, 2004.

    Computer Simulation

    In this study, field measurements were performed for

    Building A in summer and Building B in winter. No

    measurement data are available for either building for the

    remainder of the year. Therefore, computer simulations

    were used both to validate the results of field meas-

    urements and to predict energy savings by HRVs in

    seasons when measurements were not performed.

    TRACE 700 was used in simulations to determine

    energy consumption under various control conditions for

    HRVs. TRACE 700 uses analyses of dynamic load

    calculations to simulate heating and cooling loads

    according to design alternatives, systems, equipment and

    economic analysis. TRACE 700 was pre-programmed with

    common design parameters for construction materials,

    equipment, base utilities, weather conditions and sched-

    uling [44].

    Loads were calculated using the response factor

    method, which considers heat storage effects occurring

    on sealed environmental envelopes. Infiltration rates,

    irradiance and heat generation by lighting and occupantsare also considered in the computation algorithms. Due to

    these features, TRACE 700 was considered an effective

    tool to perform energy analysis for buildings [45,46].

    The input data for simulations were equal to the

    conditions applied in both buildings used for field meas-

    urements. The area and height of each unit, heat transfer

    coefficients of windows and walls and lighting loads were

    considered. Standard weather data for Seoul, Korea were

    used as input data [47]. The specific conditions used to

    control HRVs during field measurements were applied

    across all simulations to determine the effects of HRVs on

    energy savings. Under these conditions, monthly simula-

    tions were performed for Cases 1, 3, 5 and 7 during a

    period from January to December.

    Survey of High-rise Residents to Determine Operation

    Schedules

    A survey was conducted with the high-rise residents to

    determine practical operation hours of HRVs, since HRVs

    installed in the buildings are controlled individually by

    residents according to personal preferences. A total of 72

    female and 42 male high-rise residents, living in apartment

    units fitted with HRVs, participated in the survey. Their

    education levels ranged from high school to postgraduate

    education. The number of family members in each unit

    ranged from one to six.

    Surveys were conducted personally by interviews

    with the residents. The surveys included both

    general and specific questions. The general questions

    were intended to collect participants information such

    as gender, age, number of family members, education

    level, occupation and which floor of the building they

    lived on. The specific questions solicited information

    about the participants preferences for using HRVs,

    including operation hours, situations in which they

    typically used HRVs, usual operating modes, and satisfac-

    tion levels.

    Survey data were analysed to determine frequently-used

    operation schedules for HRVs in real-life contexts. Levels

    of HRV energy consumption were calculated according to

    these operation schedules using TRACE 700.

    490 Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 Kim et al.

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    6/17

    Results

    Variation of Temperature, Humidity and Ventilation

    Rate

    The measured outdoor air temperatures and humidity

    during data monitoring periods varied but remained

    within typical summer and winter ranges for Korea.Figures 3 and 4 show examples of such variation during a

    3-day period in August and January, 2003, respectively. In

    general, temperature was significantly influenced by solar

    altitude, remaining high during the day and decreasing as

    the sun set.

    The measured outdoor temperature ranged from 23.48C

    to 31.58C in summer. The temperature typically remained

    above 268C at night, and reached 29.68C in some cases,

    which implies that cooling systems must be continuously

    operated during the summer to keep indoor temperatures

    within a comfortable range. In winter, the temperature

    varied from 12.58C to 4.48C, and remained below 08C for

    the majority of the time. This range indicates that heating

    must be provided continuously both day and night during

    the winter to keep indoor temperatures within a comfor-

    table range. The difference between outdoor air tempera-

    ture and comfortable indoor temperatures was greater in

    winter than in summer. Accordingly, more energy was

    used in winter than in summer to keep indoor air within

    comfortable ranges as recommended by guidelines [32].

    Outdoor relative humidity varied from 63% to 99% in

    summer, such that outdoor air needed to be dehumidified

    before being supplied indoors to ensure resident comfort.However, dehumidification is not always required in

    winter, since humidity remained between 25% and 41%.

    This means that the HRVs function less effectively during

    the summer in terms of latent heat exchange between

    outdoor and indoor air.

    Indoor air temperatures, controlled by HRVs, ranged

    from 25.38C to 26.48C in the summer, and from 19.68C to

    23.68C in winter. These ranges meet the target temperature

    ranges set for both seasons in this study. The effects of

    HRVs in terms of energy savings were expected to be

    weaker during the summer than winter, since the

    difference between outdoor and indoor air temperature

    could have an effect on the reduction of energy consump-

    tion when HRVs are used.

    Figure 5 shows an example of measured CO2 concen-

    tration in the Room 3 for the Case 5 and Case 6 in Table 3,

    and the ventilation rates which were determined using the

    gas concentration decay method based on the monitored

    CO2 concentration. Overall, the concentration of CO2decreased significantly for the two cases over the time

    period after data monitoring began. The concentration of

    CO2 decreased from 4572 ppm to 1070 ppm and from

    4745 ppm to 1363 ppm for the Cases 5 and 6, respectively.

    After the test began, the reduction in concentration during

    each time interval was greater for the Case 5 than that

    of Case 6 due to the influence of HRVs on ventilation.

    0

    1000

    2000

    3000

    4000

    5000

    0 24 48 72 96 120 144 168 192 216 240 264 288 312 336

    Accumulated time [minutes]

    CO2Concentration[ppm]

    0.0

    0.2

    0.4

    0.6

    0.8

    1.0

    Ventilarionrate[ACH]

    CO2 variation-Case 5CO2 variation-Case 6

    Ventilation rate-Case 5

    Ventilation rate-Case 6

    Fig. 5. Example of measured CO2 concentration and ventilationrates by tracer gas concentration decay method (Room 3, Cases 5

    and 6).

    20

    10

    0

    10

    20

    30

    40

    0 12 24 36 48 60 72

    Time [hr]

    Temperature[C

    ]

    0

    20

    40

    60

    80

    100

    120

    RelativeHumidity[%].

    Winter-OA Temp.Winter-10th Temp.Winter-RH

    Fig. 4. Variation of temperature and humidity (2224 January).

    0

    5

    10

    15

    20

    25

    30

    35

    40

    0 12 24 36 48 60 72

    Time [hr]

    Temperature[C]

    0

    20

    40

    60

    80

    100

    120

    RelativeHumidity[%].

    Summer-OA Temp.

    Summer-39th Temp.

    Summer-RH

    Fig. 3. Variation of temperature and humidity (24 August).

    Indoor Living Environment in Residential Buildings Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 491

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    7/17

    The reduced concentration ranged from 40ppm to

    292 ppm and 56 ppm to 236ppm for the Cases 5 and 6,

    respectively.

    Based on the reduction in CO2 concentration for each

    data monitoring point, ventilation rates were determined

    [3941]. The ventilation rates for the Cases 5 and 6 ranged

    from 0.40 ACH to 0.49 ACH and 0.18 ACH to 0.20 ACH,

    respectively. For the entire monitoring period, the mean

    ventilation rates for Cases 5 and 6 were 0.44 ACH and

    0.19 ACH, respectively. These procedures were equally

    applied to the 8 cases summarised in Table 3 to determineventilation rates using the tracer gas concentration decay

    method.

    Figure 6 shows the measured ventilation rates using the

    tracer gas concentration decay method for all eight cases

    in relation to the HRVs and natural ventilation used. In

    each case, ventilation rates were similar for Room 3 and

    the living room in each unit. For all cases, the differences

    between these two rooms ranged from 0.01 to 0.1 ACH.

    The natural infiltration rates ranged from 0.19 ACH to

    0.32 ACH for Cases 2, 4, 6 and 8, in which HRVs were

    shut off and no air passed through them. The differences

    between Room 3 and the living room in each unit ranged

    from 0.01 ACH to 0.04 ACH, indicating that the

    recommended ventilation rate was not satisfied fully by

    natural infiltration alone, and that HRVs must beoperated in order to achieve the recommended rates.

    This result also indicates that natural infiltration rates

    were not equal for different apartment units located on

    different floors due to fluctuations in outdoor air pressure

    and unpredictable airflow.

    Under those natural infiltration conditions for the all

    residential units, the HRVs were operated according to the

    control settings given in Table 3, and provided additional

    ventilation rates to meet the required ventilation rates of

    the Korean Building Code. When HRVs were operated for

    24 h, the ventilation rate would vary from 0.44

    ACH to 0.58 ACH and rarely failed to meet the ventilation

    rate requirement as given by the Korean Building Code in

    2003 [33].

    The differences between the ventilation rates of the odd

    and even numbered-cases in Figure 6 were the contribu-

    tions of the HRVs to the final ventilation rates in Room 3

    and living room of each unit. The ventilation rates

    provided by the HRVs ranged from 0.16 ACH to 0.30

    ACH. The minimum contribution occurred in Room 3 for

    Cases 3 and 4, and the maximum contribution was in the

    living room for the Cases 1 and 2.

    Concentrations of Air Pollutants

    The concentrations of indoor air pollutants showed

    noticeable differences according to ventilation rates and

    the volume of space in each unit. The concentrations of

    formaldehyde for Cases 1, 4, 5 and 8 are shown in

    Figure 7. Overall, the concentrations of formaldehyde

    were stronger when HRVs were shut off and the

    ventilation was depended on natural infiltration only.

    The slope of the decrease for a given interval was not

    steeper under this condition. Therefore, more time was

    required to dilute the concentrations of formaldehyde

    when HRVs are not operated.

    For all cases, the concentrations of formaldehyde in

    Room 3 were expected to be stronger than in the living

    room due to the surface to volume ratio of each space,

    assuming equal ventilation rates. However, the concentra-

    tions of formaldehyde were stronger in the living room

    than in Room 3 for the entire data monitoring period,

    probably because unpredictable amounts of formaldehyde

    0.51

    0.26

    0.48

    0.32

    0.44

    0.19

    0.51

    0.23

    0.56

    0.26

    0.58

    0.3

    0.45

    0.23

    0.47

    0.26

    0

    0.1

    0.2

    0.3

    0.4

    0.5

    0.6

    0.7

    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Case

    VentilationRates[ACH].

    Room #3 Livingroom

    Fig. 6. Ventilation rate by tracer gas concentration decay method.

    0

    20

    40

    60

    80

    100

    120

    140

    160

    5 10 24 72 120 168Time [hr]

    Concentration[g/m3]

    Case 1-Room 3

    Case 4-Room 3

    Case 5-Room 3

    Case 5-Livingroom

    Case 8-Room 3

    Case 8-Livingroom

    Fig. 7. Concentration variation of formaldehyde.

    492 Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 Kim et al.

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    8/17

    molecules were emitted from the built-in furniture such as

    cabinet and bookshelves.

    When HRVs were shut off, the strongest concentrations

    of formaldehyde were detected in the living room in Case

    8. These concentrations were still lower than those given

    by the National Building Code in Korea in 2003.

    According to the Building Code, the concentration offormaldehyde in newly-constructed residential buildings

    should not exceed 210 mg/m3 [48]. However, formaldehyde

    should still be diluted to prevent any potential hazards to

    residents who will be exposed to the pollutants continu-

    ously as long as they live in the building.

    The concentrations of formaldehyde in each space

    decreased gradually with time up to 168 h. When the

    ventilation rate by natural infiltration in Case 8 was 0.26

    ACH, the initially measured concentration was 137.31mg/

    m3 in the living room, which was reduced by 65.96 mg/m3

    after 168 h. Meanwhile, the concentration in Room 3 was

    reduced by 45.77mg/m3 during the same period. This

    suggests that the dilution occurred faster in the living

    room within this limited time period.

    The concentrations of formaldehyde appeared to be

    diluted continuously beyond 168 h due to lower infiltration

    rates, which were not sufficient to dilute the air and

    decrease the concentration. The differences between the

    concentrations in the living room and in Room 3 became

    smaller as time passed, varying from 37.69mg/m3 to

    17.50mg/m3 after 168 h. This suggests that the concentra-

    tions in both rooms continued to become lower beyond

    that time point, and that the difference between the roomswould continue to decrease.

    In cases in which HRVs were operated, the concentra-

    tion of formaldehyde began to reduce significantly after

    24 h. Compared with Case 8, the dilution of air in both

    Room 3 and the living room was more effective, and

    formaldehyde molecules were removed more quickly. The

    concentration did not appear to continue to decrease

    noticeably after 168 h. However, the concentration was

    expected to decrease stably beyond this point, showing

    very narrow decreasing ranges.

    In Case 5, in which the ventilation rate was 0.45 ACH,

    the initially monitored concentration was 86.16 mg/m3 in

    the living room and 52.50 mg/m3 in Room 3. After 168 h,

    the concentrations in the living room and Room 3 were

    reduced by 81.1% and 82.1%, respectively. This result

    suggests that more formaldehyde was removed from the

    living room than from Room 3, although the ratio of

    initial concentration to final concentration was not

    significantly different between the two rooms. The initial

    concentrations in the living room and Room 3 in Case 5

    were narrower than in Case 8. The differences in

    concentrations during the initial stage in both cases were

    reduced with time. The difference between monitoring

    periods varied from 6.73 mg/m3 to 33.66mg/m3 in Case 5,

    and ranged from 16.15 mg/m3 to 44.42 mg/m3 in Case 8.

    After 168h in Case 5, the concentration of formalde-

    hyde in the living room was reduced 1.62 times greaterthan that in Room 3, reduced by70 mg/m3 in the living

    room and 43.08 mg/m3 in Room 3. In Case 8, the decrease

    in concentration was 65.96 mg/m3 in the living room and

    45.77mg/m3 in Room 3. This result implies that smaller

    ratios of surface area to volume could help to dilute the

    concentrations.

    These results may be explained by differences in surface

    area and volumes of spaces. The ratio of surface area to

    volume in each room was a critical factor that had an

    effect on the concentration of pollutants under approxi-

    mately equal ventilation rates. Space with larger floor area

    and therefore greater surface areas, would have a higher

    amounts of pollutants emitted from the surfaces. In

    addition, larger spaces would require more air to be

    supplied by the ventilation rates.

    Room 3 was smaller than the living room, which was

    open to the dining room and kitchen. The ratios of surface

    area to volume were 1.92 for Room 3 and 1.47 for the

    living room. This means that the surface area per amount

    of air supplied to the living room was less than that

    supplied to Room 3. Accordingly, this resulted in more

    effective reduction of formaldehyde molecules in the living

    room than in Room 3.In general, the concentrations of formaldehyde and

    VOCs in indoor space are determined by the emission rates

    from the material and ventilation rates which should be

    controlled to maintain comfortable environments. In this

    study, the emission rates from the materials, such as the

    built-in cabinet and book shelves were assumed to be equal

    since they were manufactured by the same manufacturer

    according to standard specifications for them.

    In addition, they were installed in each residential unit

    on the same day, and without being altered or changed

    during the field measurements of this study were

    completed. Due to these assumptions, the emission rates

    from the material were not measured in this study. This

    point might be considered as a research limitation, but the

    assumption provided reliable grounds for the reduction of

    formaldehyde and VOCs concentrations when the ventila-

    tion rates were controlled by the HRVs.

    Logarithmic regression models were developed for

    Cases 1 and 5 to predict the relationship between

    formaldehyde concentration and the accumulated time

    Indoor Living Environment in Residential Buildings Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 493

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    9/17

    which can be applied to the amount of air supplied to

    each space. The time elapsed from the beginning of

    data monitoring was considered an independent

    variable in the model. The difference between initial

    formaldehyde concentration and the formaldehyde con-

    centration at each time point was considered as a

    dependent variable.

    The predicted relationship is shown in Figures 8 and 9

    and Table 4. Each data point represents the decrease in

    formaldehyde concentrations. Overall, a strong relation-

    ship was demonstrated between the two variables for all

    cases considered in the regression analysis.

    The concentrations monitored in Cases 1 and 5

    appeared to decrease, showing stable patterns within

    limited ranges, and forming a plateau beyond 168 h. This

    suggests that the decrease in concentration would stop at

    some time beyond that point when a constant volume of

    air was supplied to the space continuously under a

    constant ventilation rate. As discussed previously, the

    decrease in the living room in Case 5 was more efficient

    than in Room 3. The coefficients of determination were

    0.9442 and 0.94 for Room 3 and the living room,

    respectively. This means that the variation of the decreased

    concentration of formaldehyde was reduced by 94.42%

    and 94% over the time period during the monitoring. The

    relationship for Room 3 in Case 1 was also strong.

    The regression model was tested using ANOVA to

    determine whether a logarithmic relationship existed

    between elapsed time and formaldehyde concentration.

    Table 4 demonstrates that the logarithmic regression

    models were acceptable under the significance level of

    0.05, since the levels calculated for all cases were less than

    0.01. These models imply that the formaldehyde emitted

    from indoor spaces could be removed completely after

    260 h when ventilation rates were maintained at 0.45 ACH

    by HRVs.

    Case 1, Room 3

    R2= 0.948

    Case 5, Room 3

    R2= 0.9442

    Case 5, Livingroom

    R

    2

    = 0.94

    0

    20

    40

    60

    80

    100

    0 50 100 150 200

    Accumulated Time [hr]

    Decreas

    edConcentration[%]

    Case 1-Room 3

    Case 5-Room 3

    Case 5-Livingroom

    Fig. 8. Correlation between accumulated time and reduced amount

    of formaldehyde concentration (Cases 1 and 5).

    Case 4, Room 3

    R2= 0.9424

    Case 8, Room 3

    R2

    = 0.8793

    Case 8, Livingroom

    R2= 0.9641

    0

    20

    40

    60

    80

    100

    0 50 100 150 200

    Accumulated Time [hr]

    DecreasedConcentration[%]

    Case 4-Room 3

    Case 8-Room 3

    Case 8-Livingroom

    Fig. 9. Correlation between accumulated time and reduced amount

    of formaldehyde concentration (Cases 4 and 8).

    Table 4. ANOVA test results for model

    Model Variable Unstandardised coefficients T Sig. ANOVA test

    B Std. Error F test Sig

    Case 1, Room 3 ln (Time) 30.54 4.07 7.51 0.00 F(1,4) 56.36 0.00

    (Constant) 70.95 16.56 4.28 0.02

    Case 5, Room 3 ln (Time) 26.81 3.79 7.08 0.01 F(1,4) 50.13 0.01

    (Constant) 49.05 15.41 3.18 0.05

    Case 5, Living room ln (Time) 17.93 2.68 6.70 0.01 F(1,4) 44.91 0.01

    (Constant) 10.52 10.89 0.97 0.41

    Case 4, Room 3 ln (Time) 5.09 0.76 6.73 0.01 F(1,4) 45.24 0.00

    (Constant) 6.96 3.08 2.26 0.11

    Case 8, Room 3 ln (Time) 8.44 1.79 4.71 0.02 F(1,4) 22.16 0.02

    (Constant) 2.19 7.30 0.30 0.78

    Case 8,Living room ln (Time) 12.27 1.29 9.49 0.00 F(1,4) 89.98 0.00

    (Constant) 16.07 5.27 3.05 0.06

    494 Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 Kim et al.

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    10/17

    In Cases 4 and 8, the formaldehyde concentrations in

    each space were reduced by approximately 50% after

    168 h. This result occurred despite the fact that HRVs were

    not operated and ventilation was depended on natural

    infiltration only. Ventilation rates were not high enough to

    dilute the formaldehyde molecules that were being

    accumulated in the space after emissions from surfaceareas such as wall, floor and ceiling. The reduction in

    concentration occurred effectively in the living room

    within a given time interval. This result is consistent with

    those of Cases 1 and 5.

    The coefficient of determination varied from 0.8793 to

    0.9641. This implies that the variation in the decrease of

    formaldehyde concentration was reduced from 87.93% to

    96.41% when the elapsed time changed. Table 4 demon-

    strates that the models used were acceptable under the

    significance level of 0.05. Unlike Cases 1 and 5, a period of

    at least 12,831 h was necessary to dilute all formaldehyde

    molecules emitted from indoor spaces. The results for

    Room 3 in Case 4 were even worse than those results.

    The concentrations of VOCs measured in the living

    room of each building are shown in Figures 10 and 11.

    Outdoor air contained toluene up to 38mg/m3, and the

    concentrations of other pollutants were weaker. The

    concentrations of VOCs in the living room were affected

    by the ventilation rates of HRVs and infiltration.

    For Cases 4 and 8, when HRVs were not operated and

    infiltration was the only source of ventilation, the

    concentration of toluene was 345mg/m3 and 298mg/m3,

    respectively. The concentrations of ethylbenzene and mp-xylene varied from 268 mg/m3 to 344mg/m3 in both cases.

    Benzene does not seem to be a very critical pollutant.

    As with formaldehyde, no VOC pollutants exceeded the

    concentration given by the National Building Code of

    Korea, 2003, which specifies permissible concentrations of

    benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene as 30m/g,

    1000m/g, 360 m/g and 700m/g, respectively [48]. Although

    the monitored concentrations did not violate these codes,

    they should still be diluted to improve indoor air quality.

    In particular, attention should be paid to reduce the

    concentration of ethylbenzene.

    The concentrations of all VOC pollutants were reduced

    significantly as HRVs were operated. In Case 1, the

    concentrations of toluene, ethylbenzene and mp-xylene

    were 59.6%, 46.9% and 49.3%, respectively, in Case 4.

    The concentrations of the three VOCs in Case 5 were

    reduced by 50.1%, 60.1% and 50.5%, respectively, as

    compared with the concentrations in Case 8.

    The amounts of each pollutant that were removed were

    not equal in Cases 1 and 5 due to the differences in initial

    concentrations and ventilation rates. In Cases 1 and 5,benzene was completely removed from the space with the

    aid of ventilation by HRVs. However, the concentration of

    o-xylene was reduced by only 3%.

    It appears that the decreases of pollutant concentra-

    tions were influenced by the ratio of surface area to

    volume in the living room and by ventilation rates. Under

    equal ventilation conditions, the decreases in concentra-

    tions occurred more efficiently when the ratio of surface

    area to volume was smaller. Those ratios for the living

    room were 1.75 in Building A and 1.47 in Building B.

    Therefore, decreases in concentrations occurred more

    effectively in the living rooms of Building B than in

    Building A.

    Although the ventilation rates for Building A were

    greater than for Building B by 0.11 ACH, the ratio of

    surface area to volume of the living room was a more

    influential factor in reducing the concentrations of VOCs.

    This implies that the removal of pollutants emitted from

    indoor surfaces was influenced critically by this ratio when

    ventilation rates were not significantly different.

    0

    50

    100

    150

    200

    250

    300

    350

    400

    Benzene Toluene Ethylbenzene m, p-xylene o-xylene

    Pollutant

    Concentration[g/m].3

    Outdoor

    Case 1

    Case 4

    Fig. 10. Concentration of VOCs (Cases 1 and 4).

    0

    50

    100

    150

    200

    250

    300

    350

    400

    Benzene Toluene Ethy lbenzene m, p-xy lene o-xy lene

    Pollutant

    Concentration[g/m3].

    Outdoor

    Case 5

    Case 8

    Fig. 11. Concentration of VOCs (Cases 5 and 8).

    Indoor Living Environment in Residential Buildings Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 495

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    11/17

    In summary, the pollutants emitted from various

    materials are important factors in deteriorating IAQ.

    They should be removed or diluted by ventilation to

    maintain indoor air quality. However, when ventilation

    rates are set to maintain the required quality of indoor air,

    more energy consumption would occur. Under these

    circumstances, the HRVs considered in this study shouldbe a good alternative for improving IAQ with associated

    energy savings.

    Energy Consumption Measurements and Validation

    Energy consumption in each assessed residential unit of

    the high-rise buildings was reduced by the operation of

    HRVs to maintain ventilation rates in each unit. Figure 12

    shows the monthly energy consumption required to keep

    indoor air temperatures within target ranges. Overall, less

    energy was consumed in Cases 1 and 5 than in Cases 4 and

    8, because outdoor air passed through the HRVs and

    exchanging heat with exhausted indoor air at the target

    temperatures, which were maintained during the monitor-

    ing period.

    Heat exchange by HRVs was a meaningful factor in

    energy consumption when the temperature difference

    between outdoor and indoor air was large. When the

    HRVs were shut off and no heat exchange occurred

    between exhausted air and outdoor air (Case 8), the

    amount of heating energy consumed in January and

    February was 1996 kWh and 1864 kWh, respectively.

    However, the heating energy consumption was saved by

    11.55% on average when the HRVs were operated for 24 hexchanging heat in winter (Case 5). This result occurred

    since the sensible heat that is expressed in terms of

    temperature difference between air and air was a

    significant contributor to the energy savings.

    While the energy saving effect in winter was effective,

    the savings in summer was not efficient. In particular, the

    HRVs had contributed to save cooling energy up to 3.76%

    in the summer. Since the temperature differences in

    summer were smaller than that during the winter, less

    efficient energy savings were achieved by HRVs during the

    summer. In this study, the indoor air temperature was set

    at 268C in summer, and the temperature difference

    between outdoor and indoor air did not exceed 78C.

    It appears that the contribution of latent heat recovery

    was not significant in energy savings in winter. The

    portion of latent heat exchange for heat recovery

    ventilators should be considered to improve energy

    savings. In general, the results of this study were consistent

    with previous studies which were conducted to examine

    the influence of heat recovery systems on energy savings in

    buildings located in two different climatic conditions [19].

    The result showed that the operations of heat recovery

    systems saved heating energy effectively in winter when the

    outdoor air temperature ranged from 12 to 88C.

    However, the use of heat recovery system was ineffective

    when the cooling set-point in indoor space was above 248C

    for a particular climatic region where outdoor temperature

    was 338C.

    Other study showed undesirable influence of uncon-

    trolled heat recovery systems on cooling loads in mild and

    cold climate region [17,49]. The results revealed that

    temperature-based control strategies should be necessary

    to reduce cooling energy consumption. Additional

    research also proved that higher cooling energy demand

    occurred for particular outdoor conditions during summerwhen indoor temperature is higher than the outdoor

    temperature and cooling is still necessary to meet thermal

    comfort for residents [50]. Although the heat recovery

    ventilators were not effective for particular outdoor

    conditions in summer, they significantly reduced heating

    energy consumption in winter.

    Total energy consumption was lowest in June and

    highest in August. For Case 1, the energy consumed in

    June was 40.54% of that consumed in August. The solar

    altitude is highest in June, and the influence of solar

    radiation on the cooling load is significant. However, the

    mean temperature profile in Korea indicates that the

    outdoor temperatures and humidity are greater in August

    than in June. This resulted in more cooling energy

    consumption in August.

    In this study, the energy consumption by HRVs in high-

    rise residential buildings was measured during a limited

    period, not year-round. To examine the influence of HRVs

    on energy savings for entire seasons, computer simulations

    were performed using TRACE 700. Experimental data

    0

    500

    1000

    1500

    2000

    2500

    Jan. Feb June July AugMonth

    EnergyConsumption[kWh].

    Case 1Case 4

    Case 5Case 8

    Fig. 12. Measured energy consumption.

    496 Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 Kim et al.

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    12/17

    were used as input data in the simulations to predict

    energy consumption for periods during which measure-

    ments were performed. Standard weather data were also

    used for simulations [47].

    The results of both experimental measurements and

    simulations were examined using linear regression analysis

    to validate simulation results. The relationships betweenthese data are shown in Figure 13. ANOVA tests were

    performed to identify significant relationships. A summary

    of the tests is shown in Table 5.

    The test results indicate that an acceptable linear

    relationship existed between measured and simulated

    energy consumption for Case 1 (F(1,23) 37.64, p50.05)

    and Case 3 (F(1,23)71.15, p50.05). The coefficient of

    determination was 0.8862 for Case 1 and 0.8887 for Case

    3. This implies that the variation in simulated results was

    reduced by 88.62% and 88.87% for Cases 1 and 3,

    respectively, when measured results were used to predict

    simulated results. Since the validation was acceptable, the

    energy consumption for the rest of the year was predicted

    using simulations.

    The predicted energy consumption for each month

    under various control settings is shown in Figures 14 and

    15. Positive and negative values indicate heating and

    cooling energy consumption, respectively. Overall, the

    energy consumption for each month was less for Cases 1

    and 5, when the HRVs were operated to exchange heat

    between outdoor air and the exhausted air from indoors.

    Specifically, Cases 1 and 5 resulted in annual energy

    savings of 23.29% and 18.25% as compared to Cases 3

    and 7, respectively. These results were consistent with

    previous research, which revealed that heating energycould be reduced by 20% when heat recovery ventilators

    were employed during winter [17,19].

    In summary, efficient energy savings were achieved

    when heating was necessary, since heat exchange occurred

    effectively in the HRVs due to the temperature differences

    between outdoor and indoor air. The HRV systems could

    achieve effective energy savings and ventilation rates with

    improved IAQ in high-rise residential buildings, where

    natural ventilation is limited due to tightly-sealed

    envelopes.

    Determination of Preferred Operation Schedules and

    Energy Savings

    A total of 72 female and 42 male residents of a high-rise

    building participated in the survey. The ages of partici-

    pants ranged from 18 to 80. Overall, 87.7% of participants

    were older than 40, and 54.4% of those were females.

    A detailed distribution of participants ages is shown in

    Figure 16.

    A total of 43% of the survey participants were women

    who did not work outside the home and who spent the

    majority of their time in their residential units. A total of

    37.7% of the participants were professional or self-

    employed, and the rest of the participants were students

    and salaried persons who commute regularly. Their

    education levels ranged from high school to graduate

    degrees. A detailed distribution of occupation and educa-

    tion levels is shown in Figure 17.

    The survey participants preferred to operate HRVs

    between 6 and 12 h per day. The operation hours fell into

    the range was 55.2% of all the residents surveyed. A total

    of 8.8% of the participants preferred to use HRVs

    continuously for 24 h per day, but 35.9% of the

    Case 1

    R2= 0.8862

    Case 3

    R2= 0.8887

    0

    5

    10

    15

    20

    25

    0 5 10 15 20

    Measured Energy [kWh]

    SimulatedEnergy[kW

    h].

    Case 1

    Case 3

    Fig. 13. Correlation between measured and simulated energy

    consumption.

    Table 5. ANOVA test results for validation

    Model Variable Unstandardised coefficients T Sig. ANOVA test

    B Std. Error F-test Sig.

    Case 1 (Constant) 0.591 1.10 0.54 0.60 F(1,23) 37.64 0.01

    Slope 0.961 0.16 6.14 0.00

    Case 3 (Constant) 0.034 0.97 0.04 0.97 F(1,23) 71.15 0.00

    Slope 1.014 0.12 8.44 0.00

    Indoor Living Environment in Residential Buildings Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 497

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    13/17

    participants preferred to use HRVs less than 1 h per day.

    The preferred operation hours for HRVs are shown in

    Figure 18.

    The survey participants particularly preferred to use

    HRVs while they cooked, dined and rested after dining,

    with 67.5% indicating such a preference. A total of 6.1%

    of the participants preferred to operate HRVs while they

    slept. A total of 11.4% of the participants preferred to use

    HRVs only when they felt it was necessary. The preferred

    cases for operating HRVs are shown in Figure 19.

    In this study, preferred operation schedules for HRVs

    were determined based on survey results to predict energysavings by HRVs for the preferred operation hours. The

    majority of operation hours preferred by residents did not

    exceed 12h per day, and HRVs were used primarily

    around cooking, dining and resting times. Accordingly, it

    was determined that operation schedules of 6 and 12 h

    were assigned for those three activities to perform com-

    puter simulations. The determined operation schedules are

    shown in Table 6, and the shaded areas indicate that the

    HRVs were operated for the designated time.

    The procedures used to predict monthly energy

    consumption discussed in the previous section were

    applied to the simulations under the determined operation

    schedules shown in Table 6. Predicted monthly energy

    consumption under two operation schedules is shown in

    1.8 1.8

    0.0

    1.8

    14.0

    17.5

    1.8

    3.5 3.5

    19.3

    28.1

    7.0

    0

    5

    10

    15

    20

    25

    30

    < 20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 > 60Age

    Percentage[%]

    male

    female

    Fig. 16. Participants age.

    8

    6

    4

    2

    0

    2

    4

    6

    8

    10

    12

    1 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

    Month

    EnergyConsumption[kWh/m2].

    Case 5 Case 6

    Fig. 15. Predicted energy consumption (Building B).

    1.80.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

    30.7

    1.8

    5.3

    14.9

    5.33.5

    10.5

    0.01.8

    3.5

    14.0

    7.0

    0

    10

    20

    30

    40

    Housewife Student Salaryman Self-

    employed

    Profess ional etc

    Occupation

    Percentage[%]

    Highschool

    Bacholor

    Master

    Fig. 17. Participants education level and occupation.

    7.0

    28.9 29.8

    25.4

    8.8

    0

    10

    20

    30

    40

    No use

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    14/17

    Figures 20 and 21. Positive and negative values indicate

    heating and cooling energy consumption, respectively.

    Overall, slightly less energy was consumed when HRVs

    were used for at least 12 h in the two buildings. Compared

    with energy consumption during summer, more energy

    was consumed from December to February when heating

    was necessary. This result was similar to that for the twobuildings in which the two types of HRVs were controlled

    in Cases 1, 3, 5 and 7.

    In particularly, the amount of energy consumed in

    winter was 2.6 times greater than that consumed in

    summer. The energy consumed by the total heat exchange

    type of HRVs was slightly greater than that consumed by

    the sensible heat exchange type of HRVs. This means that

    the sensible heat had an influence on energy consumption

    in the season.

    In summary, the amount of annual energy consumption

    under operation schedules preferred by residents and the

    other three cases discussed in the previous section is shown

    in Figures 22 and 23. Overall, heating energy was a majorportion of the energy consumption, ranged from 71.90%

    to 75.93% of the total energy consumption when HRVs

    were operated according to various control settings.

    The HRV operated 24 h continuously in Cases 1 and 5

    saved energy more effectively than other operation

    schedules. In particularly, heating energy consumption

    was reduced by 9.54% and 8.09% compared with Cases 2

    and 6, respectively. Cooling energy in Cases 1 and 5 was

    reduced by 10.63% and 3.39%, respectively. This means

    that annual energy consumption can be reduced by

    20.17% when HRVs are operated for 24 h continuously,exchanging sensible and latent heat.

    When the total heat exchange types of HRVs were used

    according to operation schedules preferred by survey

    participants, total annual energy consumption was

    reduced by 8.49%. The sensible heat exchanging HRVs

    reduced energy consumption by 5.64% annually. The

    worst case scenario for energy savings happened in Cases 3

    and 7 when HRVs were operated 24h continuously

    without heat exchange. However, such control schedules

    Table 6. Operation schedule for HRVs according to residents preference

    Operation Time (124 h)

    schedule 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

    6 h g g g g g g

    12 h g g g g g g g g g g g g

    11.4

    3.5

    11.4

    6.1

    30.7

    21.9

    14.9

    0

    10

    20

    30

    40

    No use etc when

    necessary

    sleep cooking dining After

    cooking

    Case for using HRV

    Percentage[%]

    Fig. 19. Preferred case for operating HRVs.

    8

    6

    4

    2

    0

    2

    4

    6

    8

    10

    12

    1 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

    Month

    EnergyConsumption[kWh/m2].

    6hr 12hr

    Fig. 20. Predicted energy consumption according to operation

    schedule (Bldg. A).

    8

    6

    4

    2

    0

    2

    4

    6

    8

    10

    12

    1 2 3 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

    Month

    EnergyConsumption[kWh/m2].

    6hr 12hr

    Fig. 21. Predicted energy consumption according to operation

    schedule (Bldg. B).

    Indoor Living Environment in Residential Buildings Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 499

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    15/17

    are not found in reality, since real HRVs supply untreated

    outdoor air into indoor spaces.

    Conclusions

    This study was performed to examine the influence of

    HRVs on energy savings and IAQ in high-rise residential

    buildings. The summary of findings is as follows.

    1. The use of HRVs would enable the apartment units to

    meet the mandatory ventilation rates given by the

    National building Codes of Korea and effectively

    improved IAQ. More formaldehyde molecules would

    be removed from large spaces than from small spaces,

    since the ratio of surface area to volume of each room

    is a critical factor that can have an impact on

    pollutant concentration under equal ventilation

    rates. A smaller ratio of surface area to space

    volume would be much more effective for diluting

    pollutant concentrations.

    2. Logarithmic regression models that were developed to

    predict the decrease of formaldehyde concentration

    were acceptable under the significance level of 0.05. It

    is expected that all formaldehyde molecules emitted

    from indoor spaces are removed after 260 h whenventilation rates are kept at 0.45 ACH continuously

    by HRVs. This implies that the operation of HRVs

    would simultaneously contribute to improve indoor

    air quality and maintain ventilation rates within the

    mandatory requirement of the Building Code.

    3. Linear regression models developed to validate the

    results of simulations and measurements were accep-

    table under a lower significance level. Predicted

    annual energy consumption indicates that heating

    energy accounted for up to 75.93% of the total energy

    consumption under various operation schedules. It

    was shown that HRVs could save energy up to

    20.17% annually in high-rise residential buildings

    when they were operated continuously for 24 h per

    day, exchanging sensible and latent heat. In par-

    ticularly, the contribution of sensible heat was

    effective when HRVs were applied in a region where

    the exchange of latent heat would influence the energy

    consumption insignificantly. In summary, the contin-

    u o us o p era tio ns o f HRVs e ffe c tiv ely wo uld

    save energy and improve indoor air quality and

    maintain the necessary ventilation rates for residential

    buildings.4. The survey results showed that the residents in high-

    rise residential buildings would primarily preferred to

    operate HRVs when they cooked, dined, and rested

    after dining. They also preferred to use HRVs up to

    12 h per day when those three types of activities were

    performed. Under this condition, annual energy

    savings by HRVs was as high as 8.49%.

    Limitations and Future Work

    The results of this study were based on field meas-

    urements in high-rise residential buildings taken over a

    limited time period. The measurements were performed

    during summer and winter only, due to logistical limita-

    tions. Measurements for much longer time periods are

    necessary in a future study to compensate for these

    shortcomings. The emission rates of formaldehyde and

    VOCs from the material were not measured in this study

    46.91

    20.58

    45.93

    20.17

    43.73

    19.92

    47.58

    20.62

    0

    10

    20

    30

    40

    50

    60

    70

    gnilooCgnitaeHEnergy Type

    EnergyConsumption[kWh/m2].

    6 hrs 12 hrs

    Case 5 Case 6

    Fig. 23. Annual energy consumption according to operation

    schedule (Bldg. B).

    52.56

    17.08

    51.08

    16.40

    48.25

    15.30

    53.34

    17.13

    0

    10

    20

    30

    40

    50

    60

    70

    gnilooCgnitaeHEnergy Type

    EnergyCo

    nsumption[kWh/m2].

    6 hrs 12 hrs

    Case 1 Case 2

    Fig. 22. Annual energy consumption according to operation

    schedule (Bldg. A).

    500 Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 Kim et al.

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    16/17

    since the rates were assumed to be equal for the spaces

    where the concentrations of air pollutants were measured.

    Precise measurement for the rate would be useful to

    determine the contribution of HRVs to high-rise residen-

    tial buildings.

    The measurement results were compared with simula-

    tion results to validate simulation software and predict

    energy consumption for the time when measurements were

    not performed. Although the validation was found to be

    acceptable under a low significance level, the software has

    limitations peculiar to its own computation algorithms. As

    different software would provide different results, further

    computer simulations by a variety of software packages

    would benefit a future study.

    References

    1 Kim S, Song K: Determining photosensor

    conditions of a daylight dimming control

    system using different double-skin envelope

    configurations: Indoor Built Environ

    2007;16:411425

    2 Choi A, Song K, Kim Y: The characteristics of

    photosensor and electronic dimming in day-

    light responsive dimming systems: Build

    Environ 2005;40:39503 Yu CWF, Kim JT: Building pathology, inves-

    tigation of sick buildings VOC emissions:

    Indoor Built Environ 2010;19(1):3039.

    4 Yu CWF, Kim JT: Building environmental

    assessment schemes for rating of IAQ in

    sustainable buildings: Indoor Built Environ

    2011;20(1):515.

    5 Wang S, Sun Z, Sun Y, Zhu N: Online optimal

    ventilation control of building systems: Indoor

    Built Environ 2011;20(1):129136.

    6 Yik FWH, Lun YF: Energy saving by utilizing

    natural ventilation in public housing in Hong

    Kong: Indoor Built Environ 2010:19(1):7387.

    7 Lazzarin R, Gasparella A: Technical and

    economical analysis of heat recovery in build-

    ing ventilation systems: Appl Therm Eng 1998;

    18: 47678 Zhang Y, Jiang Y, Zhang L, Deng Y, Jin Z:

    Analysis of thermal performance and energy

    savings of membrane based heat recovery

    ventilator: Energy 2000;25:515527

    9 Zhou Y, Wu J, Wang R: Performance of

    energy recovery ventilator with various

    weather and temperature set-points: Energy

    Build 2007;39:12021210.

    10 Fehrm M, Reiners W, Ungemach M: Exhaust

    air heat recov ery in building s: Int J

    Refrigeration 2002; 25:439449

    11 Roulet C, Heidt F, Foradini F,Pibiri M: Real

    heat recovery with air handling units: Energy

    Build 2001;33:495502

    12 Lazzarin R, Gasparella A: Technical and

    economical analysis of heat recovery in build-

    ing ventilation systems: Appl Therm Eng

    1998;18:4767.

    13 Zhong K, Kang Y: Applicability of air-to-air

    heat recovery ventilators in China: Appl

    Therm Eng 2009;29:830840

    14 Gage, Ayres, Axon: The use of heat pumps to

    induce airflow on hot days in otherwise passive

    ventilation systems- a zonal modeling

    approach: Indoor Built Environ

    2000;9(3-4):127142

    15 Braham GD: Mechanical ventilation and

    fabric thermal storage: Indoor Built Environ

    2000;9(2):102110.

    16 Berry J: Super-efficient mechanical ventilation:

    Indoor Built Environ 2000;9(2):8796.

    1 7 Rasouli M, S imonson C, Besant R:

    Applicability and optimum control strategy

    of energy recovery ventilators in different

    cli mati c condi ti ons: Energy Bui ld2010;42:13761385

    18 Sun Z, Wang S, Zhu N: Model-based optimal

    control of outdoor air flow rate of an air-

    conditioning system with primary air-handling

    unit: Indoor Built Environ 1420326X11411511,

    first published on July 18, 2011, doi:10.1177/

    1420326X11411511.

    19 Liu J, Li W, Wang B: Efficiency of energy

    recovery ventilator with various weathers and

    its energy saving performance in a residential

    apartment: Energy Build 2010;42:4349

    20 Marisk T, Johnson R: Use of Simulink to

    evaluate the air-quality and energy perform-

    ance of HRV-equiped residences in Fairbanks,

    Alaska: Energy Build 2008;40:16051613

    21 Awbi H, Allwinkle S: Domestic ventilation

    with heat recovery to improve indoor airquality: Energy Build 1986;9:305312

    22 Laverge J, Bossche N, Heijmans N, Janssens

    A: Energy saving potential and repercussions

    on indoor air quality of demand controlled

    residential ventilation strategies: Build Environ

    2011;46:14971503

    23 Roulet C, Heidt F, Foradini F, Pibiri M: Real

    heat recovery with air handling units: Energy

    Build 2001;33:495502

    24 Juodis E: Extracted ventilation air heat recov-

    ery efficiency as a function of a buildings

    thermal properties: Energy Build 2006;38:568

    573

    25 Kalamees T: Indoor climate conditions and

    ventilation performance in Estonian light-

    weight detached houses: Indoor Built Environ

    2006;15(6):555569.

    26 Barringer CG: Effect of residential air to air

    heat and moisture exchangers on indoor

    humidity: ASHRAE Trans 1989;Part 2:464

    481

    27 Ktstler KR, Cussler EL: Membrane modules

    for building ventilation: Inst Chem Eng Trans

    IChemE 2002;80:5364.

    28 Bae C, Chun J: Research on seasonal indoor

    thermal environment and residents control

    behavior of cooling and heating systems in

    Korea: Build Environ 2009;44:23002307

    29 Song G: Buttock response to contact with

    finishing materials over the ONDOL floor

    heating system in Korea: Energy Build

    2005;37:6575

    30 Kim SK, Hong H, Kim S, Kim JT: Method

    and analysis of a dynamic simulation of ondol

    heating: Indoor Built Environ2011;20(1):112-119

    31 Kim S, Lee D, Hong H: An energy saving

    technique using ondol heating schedule control

    of housing units in Korea: Indoor Built

    Environ 2010;19(1):8893.

    32 ANSI-ASHRAE Standard 55-2004: Thermal

    Conditions for Human Occupancy. Atlanta,

    GA, ANSI/ASHRAE, 2004.

    33 National Building Codes of Korea: Standard

    Codes for Building Facility and Equipment.

    Article 328, Korea, 2003

    34 ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2003:

    Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air

    Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings.

    Atlanta, GA, ASHRAE, 2003

    35 CR 1752:1998: Ventilation for Buildings;

    Design Criteria for the Indoor Environment.CEN/TC 156 - Ventilation for Buildings.

    Bru ssels, European Committee for

    Standardisation (CEN), 1998.

    36 NHS Estates: Ventilation in Healthcare

    Premises: Design Considerations. Health

    Technical Memorandum 2025, London.

    Norwich, The Stationery Office, 1994.

    37 Chinese National Standard GB 50176-93:

    Building Design Code for Civil Buildings.

    Beijing, Chinese Plan Publication House, 1993

    38 National Building Code of Korea: Standard

    Codes for Building Facility and Equipment.

    Article 11, Korea, 2006.

    39 ASTM E741-95, Standard Test Method for

    Determining Air Change in a Single Zone by

    Means of a Tracer Gas Dilution.

    Philadelphia, American Society for Testing

    and Materials, 2006

    40 Persily A, Dols W: The relation of CO2concentration to office building ventila-

    tion, air change rate and airtightness in

    buildings; in Sherman HM (ed): Air

    Change Rate and Airtightness in

    Buildings: ASTM STP 1067,

    Philad elphia, America n So ciety for

    Testing and Materials, 1990, pp. 7792

    Indoor Living Environment in Residential Buildings Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 501

  • 8/12/2019 2012-Improvement of Indor Living Environment by Occupants Preferences for Heat Recovery Ventilators in Hihg-ris

    17/17

    41 ASHRAE: 2009 ASHRAE Handbook-

    Fundamentals. Atlanta, GA, American

    Society of Heating Refrigerating and Air-

    Conditioning Engineers, Inc., 2009

    42 Chuah YK, Fu YM, Hung CC, Tseng PC:

    Concentration variation of pollutants in a

    work week period of an office: Build Environ

    1997;32:535540

    43 Cheong KW: Airflow measurements for bal-

    ancing of air distribution system-tracer gastechnique as an alternative: Build Environ

    2001;36:955964

    44 TRACE 700: Users Manual, Trane 2001

    45 Holness G: Building information modeling-

    Gaining momentum: ASHRAE J 2008; 2840

    46 Crawley D, Hand J, Kummert M, Griffith B:

    Contrasting the capabilities of building energy

    performance simulation programs: Build

    Environ 2008;43:661673

    47 Standard Weather Data in Korea, The Society

    of Air-conditioning and Refrigerating

    Engineering of Korea, Vol. 2, 1996

    48 National Institute of Environmental Research:Recommended guidelines for indoor air qual-

    ity in newly-constructed apartment houses,

    Codes for management of indoor air quality.

    Article 9, Environment ministry, Korea, 2008

    49 Fauchoux M, Simonson C, Torvi D: The effect

    of energy recovery on perceived air quality,

    energy consumption, and the economics of an

    office building: ASHRAE Trans

    2001;113(2):437449.

    50 Simonson C, Shang W, Besant R: Part-load

    performance of energy wheels. Part I.

    Wheel speed control: ASHRAE Trans2000;106(1):286300.

    502 Indoor Built Environ 2012;21:486502 Kim et al.