Return to Research

Building Type:

Multifamily, Residential

Location:

California

New/Existing:

Existing, New

Research Category :

Indoor Air Quality

Research Sponsor:

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with funding from U.S. DOE and the California Energy Commission

AEA's Role:

Test site recruitment, field study design, and implementation (diagnostic testing, data collection, M&V equipment installation, and data aggregation and analysis).

Field Study of Wall Furnace Venting and Coincident Exhaust Fan Usage in 16 Northern California Apartments

Research Team:

LBNL, AEA

Challenge:

In the past several years, some consensus has developed around the belief that worst-case combustion safety testing of gas appliances is overly conservative and that it may result in many “safe” residences failing combustion appliance safety (CAS) inspections (Rapp, Less, Singer, Stratton, & Wray, 2015). These purported false-positives lead to reductions in the efficacy of energy retrofit programs, either through diversion of program funds towards remediation of perceived (but not real) combustion hazards, or by limiting energy-saving air-sealing in apartments deemed to be at risk of failing a CAS test. Many multifamily energy retrofit programs require that initial testing and remediation be performed before any energy retrofit work can commence; however, these programs do not provide the funding for the remediation work. As a result, it is not uncommon for otherwise strong energy retrofit candidate projects to drop out of these programs because they cannot, or do not want to incur the remediation costs.

Project Objective:

The goal of this research was to inform efforts to improve combustion appliance safety testing to identify true hazards that require remediation, leading to a larger fraction of program dollars being spent on efficiency while also reducing risk. To inform efforts to improve combustion appliance testing in residential energy efficiency programs, the team studied the frequency of coincident fan use and depressurization-induced downdrafting and spillage from atmospherically vented (i.e., natural draft) wall furnaces in airtight apartments. Indoor environmental conditions, heating appliance operation, use of exhaust fans, and cooking with stovetop or oven were monitored for approximately three weeks each in 16 apartment units in two buildings in Northern California. Apartments also were assessed using standard combustion appliance safety test methods and enhanced protocols.

Field Study of Wall Furnace Venting and Coincident Exhaust Fan Usage in 16 Northern California Apartments

Research Team:

LBNL, AEA

Challenge

In the past several years, some consensus has developed around the belief that worst-case combustion safety testing of gas appliances is overly conservative and that it may result in many “safe” residences failing combustion appliance safety (CAS) inspections (Rapp, Less, Singer, Stratton, & Wray, 2015). These purported false-positives lead to reductions in the efficacy of energy retrofit programs, either through diversion of program funds towards remediation of perceived (but not real) combustion hazards, or by limiting energy-saving air-sealing in apartments deemed to be at risk of failing a CAS test. Many multifamily energy retrofit programs require that initial testing and remediation be performed before any energy retrofit work can commence; however, these programs do not provide the funding for the remediation work. As a result, it is not uncommon for otherwise strong energy retrofit candidate projects to drop out of these programs because they cannot, or do not want to incur the remediation costs.

Project Objective

The goal of this research was to inform efforts to improve combustion appliance safety testing to identify true hazards that require remediation, leading to a larger fraction of program dollars being spent on efficiency while also reducing risk. To inform efforts to improve combustion appliance testing in residential energy efficiency programs, the team studied the frequency of coincident fan use and depressurization-induced downdrafting and spillage from atmospherically vented (i.e., natural draft) wall furnaces in airtight apartments. Indoor environmental conditions, heating appliance operation, use of exhaust fans, and cooking with stovetop or oven were monitored for approximately three weeks each in 16 apartment units in two buildings in Northern California. Apartments also were assessed using standard combustion appliance safety test methods and enhanced protocols.

Building Type:

Multifamily, Residential

Location:

California

New/Existing:

Existing, New

Research Category :

Indoor Air Quality

Research Sponsor:

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with funding from U.S. DOE and the California Energy Commission

AEA's Role:

Test site recruitment, field study design, and implementation (diagnostic testing, data collection, M&V equipment installation, and data aggregation and analysis).