Indoor air quality for residential buildings

ASHRAE has long been in the business of ventilation, but most of the focus of that effort has been in the area of commercial and institutional buildings. Residential ventilation traditionally was not a major concern because it was felt that between operable windows and envelope leakage, people were getting enough air. In the quarter of a century since the first oil shock, houses have become much more energy efficient. At the same time, the kinds of materials and functions in houses were changing in character in response to people's needs. People also were becoming more environmentally conscious not only about the resources they were consuming but about the environment in which they lived.