An argument can be made that ASHRAE’s residential ventilation standard (62.2) is too high and wastes energy; in fact, Joe Lstiburek said just that back in 2013, and there’s a great follow-up discussion on the topic in Martin Holladay’s article “How Much Fresh Air Does Your Home Need?“. But as Allison Bailes points out in this recent Energy Vanguard article, those arguments were made prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has changed many people’s thinking on ventilation rates.
Writes Bailes, “The COVID-19 pandemic has been an eye-opener. Indoor air quality is critical in helping us get through it (as is the vaccine), but let’s not let it stop there. Let’s use the pandemic as a springboard to make permanent, long-term changes in how we deal with indoor air quality. The answer, as I’ve said before, isn’t electronic air cleaners of dubious effectiveness. It’s source control, ventilation, and filtration. And to get the most out of mechanical ventilation in our homes, we need higher ventilation rates.”