DE-13-024 -- Investigation of Appropriate Ventilation Rates for Retail Stores PDF

This study is an investigation of air quality and ventilation rates in there retail stores owned and operated by the same corporation that are located in three different climate regions of the United States. The study was designed to use the IAQ Procedure (Section 6.3) of ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2007 to determine ventilation rates required to maintain concentrations of indoor pollutants below recognized concentration limits for customers and staff in the stores. The stores chosen for the study represent three standard designs currently used by a major US retail owner. The results suggest that the stores can be ventilated at rates significantly less than the rates called for in the ASHRAE Ventilation Rate Procedure while maintaining acceptable indoor air quality. The IAQ Procedure is no often used in the design of new buildings. These results suggest an important future application for this design method, namely, the design of similar buildings owned and maintained by a common owner.