ASHRAE Receives NIST Grant to Study IAQ in Retail Stores

ASHRAE has been awarded $1.5 million dollars in grant money from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to conduct a three-year research project on ventilation and indoor air quality in retail stores.
ASHRAE's project, Ventilation and Indoor Air quality in Retail Stores, is one of 27 projects funded by NIST for measurement science and engineering research. The NIST Measurement Science and Engineering Research Grants Program, made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $34.12 million in grants at higher-education, commercial and nonprofit organizations in 18 states. The project will be conducted through ASHRAE's research program.
"ASHRAE thanks NIST for recognizing the great need for more information on ventilation and IAQ in retail stores," Society president Gordon Holness said. "The data gathered through this project will benefit not only the industry but the general public who work and shop in retail stores around the world."
Currently, there is little published information about air quality and ventilation rates in retail spaces in the United States-ventilation requirements for retail and other space types have been set largely by data for commercial office buildings.
Given that there are some 14.6 billion ft2 of retail space in the United States where people shop up to 24/7, it is vital that ventilation systems operate as efficiently as possible while maintaining good indoor air quality.
Through this study, ASHRAE is seeking to improve the energy efficiency of ventilation systems in retail stores while maintaining air quality by establishing a method to determine the relationship between ventilation rates and IAQ, using measured ventilation and pollutant concentration data. Specifically, the project will provide a quantitative basis for improving energy efficiency, while maintaining air quality, by increasing maintenance frequency and reducing ventilation rate requirements.
Existing pollutant and ventilation rate data, on which ventilation requirements for retail spaces are based, largely come from measurements in office buildings, which may not be appropriate. The project will conduct measurements in up to five retail building types: general merchandise, department, supermarket, restaurant, and home improvement/hardware.
Holness noted that the results will provide a more rigorous basis for the ventilation rate requirements in retail spaces and provide incentives for improved maintenance if it can be shown that clean and dry spaces will lead to lower pollutant concentrations and improve the perception of good air quality.
Ultimately, the project will establish a methodology for collecting real world ventilation and air quality data.
Founded in 1901, NIST is a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life.
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of 55,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.