210869 High performance affordable housing - health and energy outcomes

Monday, November 9, 2009: 11:30 AM

Melissa Malkin-Weber, JD, MPH , Applied Building Science Team, Advanced Energy, Raleigh, NC
  
High performance housing is increasingly penetrating the U.S. housing market. Over 175,000 high performance houses have been built nationwide. In North Carolina, over 1,500 affordable high performance homes have been built through the SystemVision™ program. High Performance Homes are distinct from a “typical” energy efficient house in that they incorporate quality processes to ensure the house performs as designed. The designs are distinguished by addressing moisture management, durability, combustion safety, and ventilation as well as energy. High Performance houses have demonstrated energy efficiency benefits. This study examines indoor environmental factors that impact human health in high performance homes, especially respiratory health. Factors measured include: indoor formaldehyde and acetylaldehyde levels, airborne particulates, allergens, moisture and ventilation rates. The study design examines 50 houses and two separate intervention configurations. One configuration is a retrofit including ducted dehumidification, ventilation, and a minimal closed crawl space. The second configuration is the typical SystemVision high performance home with a closed crawl space upgrade.

Learning Objectives:
Describe a sucessful program delivering energy efficient affordable housing with indoor air quality upgrades. List indoor air quality upgrades, Discuss indoor air quality outcomes observed in these homes (baseline plus intervention).

Keywords: Asthma, Housing

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have published and presented extensively on the topic of health and housing specifically, and environmental issues generally. Selected previous articles include: High performance intervention houses in North Carolina – an attempt to control indoor relative humidity at 50% year round. Malkin-Weber M, Coulter J, Hannas B, Dixon T. Indoor Air 2008, Copenhagen, Denmark. http://www.indoorair2008.org/. Vented Crawlspaces as Mold Amplification and Delivery Systems? Measured Performance and a Dry Alternative. Malkin-Weber, Melissa, Jonathan Coulter, Tracy Dixon, Cyrus Dastur, Bruce Davis. ASHRAE Indoor Air Quality, Baltimore MD, 2008. Measured Formaldehyde in High Performance Homes with Outdoor Air Intakes. Melissa Malkin-Weber, Jonathan Coulter, Tracy Dixon, Benjamin Hannas, Shaun Hassel, and Jamie Kingston. Presented at the Indoor Air Quality Association 12th Annual Meeting, Fort Worth, Texas USA. February, 2009. Citizens, Engineers and Air Toxics: Citizen Participation in Technology Based Standard Setting. Lynn, Frances and Melissa Malkin. The International Journal of Technology Management, 19(3/4/5), 288-300, 2000. Streamlining Life-Cycle Assessment: Considerations and a Report on the State of Practice. Weitz, Keith, Melissa Malkin et al. The International Journal of Life-Cycle Assessment, 1(2):79-85, 1996. Issues in Facility-Level Pollution Prevention Measurement. Malkin, Melissa, Jesse Baskir and Jordan Spooner. Environmental Progress, 14(4). 1995.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Strategies to Improve Residential Indoor Environmental Quality in New and Existing Housing
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