ABSTRACT
In residential buildings 30% or more of the total energy dissipates from the building in the departing air stream. This process can be due to well-intended natural or forced ventilation or be the result of infiltration through cracks and unintentional openings. Therefore, to avoid extensive energy losses a building must combine a good ventilation design with an optimal air-tightness. The lay-out and sizing of such a ventilation system is prescribed in ventilation standards like the Belgian NBN D 50-001. But the air change rates, energy losses or indoor air quality in which the application of the Belgian standard results is hardly known. To better understand the consequences of applying the NBN D 50-001 a multi-zone ventilation model was developed, using Contain W. The model incorporates in detail the ventilation components, infiltration paths and CO2 -production of a representative single-family house. The ventilation openings are sized according to the Belgian standard and the infiltration openings are, considering distribution and size, adjusted to the average for single-family dwellings. On the bases of simulation results, this paper describes the consequences of applying the NBN D 50-001, regarding average air change rate, energy loss and indoor air quality.
