Event Description

We will explore the intersection of indoor air quality (IAQ) and green home building. While the green building movement is delivering on sustainability and energy efficiency, it often overlooks a critical component: the health of the home's occupants. Many green building initiatives inadvertently compromise IAQ, leading to environmentally friendly homes that are not necessarily healthy. Building codes need to catch up to modern technology.

The idea that a home's square footage and number of bedrooms plus one somehow leads to proper ventilation to ensure breathable air needs to be updated, especially when modern software algorithms can instantly ascertain the Goldilocks scenario as to when and for how long fresh air rates are required. Attendees will learn what IAQ is and the role that early intervention with pollutant source awareness can play in more innovative, more energy-efficient, healthy homes.

Learning Goals:

• Understand: The definition and importance of IAQ are crucial for maintaining the health of occupants in residential environments.
• Analyze: The disconnect between energy efficiency and air quality poses significant challenges for green homes, impacting the safety of the occupants.
• Introduce: Integrating IAQ considerations into green building standards is essential to balance sustainability and health, ensuring the welfare of individuals living in environmentally friendly homes.
• Articulate: Understanding the interrelationship of the six pillars of IAQ is vital for implementing strategies to improve IAQ in green homes, promoting innovative, energy-efficient, and healthy living environments.