Issue link: https://hi.iaq.net/i/655416
Energy Savings Plus Health | INDOOR AIR QUALITY GUIDELINES FOR MULTIFAMILY BUILDING UPGRADES 5 Purpose and Scope Millions of American homes, including dwelling units in multifamily residential buildings, will be retrofitted in the coming years to renovate their existing structure, improve energy efficiency, improve long-term durability and ensure good indoor air quality (IAQ). Some up- grade activities, however, might negatively affect IAQ if the appropriate building assessment is not made be- fore work begins and issues that can compromise IAQ are not identified and properly addressed. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed this document, Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor Air Quality Guidelines for Multifamily Building Upgrades, to provide practical guidance to ensure healthy indoor environments during multifamily residential building upgrades, retrofits and renovations (including energy upgrades), and to maintain the building upgrades after dwelling units are reoccupied. In 2011, EPA released Healthy Indoor Environment Protocols for Home Energy Upgrades (EPA document # 402/K-11/003), which applies primarily to existing single-family homes and, to a much lesser degree, existing multifamily low-rise residential buildings of three stories or less. The opportunities and challeng- es to maintain or improve IAQ while upgrading sin- gle-family homes often differ from those encountered in multifamily residential buildings, where spaces, equipment and decision-making are often shared and, in the case of leased space, dependent on the building owner/developer. In addition, some multifamily resi- dential buildings are classified as mixed-use where the buildings can contain, for example, retail spaces, park- ing garages, conference/meeting rooms, offices, health clubs/aerobic rooms, and beauty/nail salons, in addi- tion to dwelling units. Mixed-use spaces often present challenges generally not found in single-family homes, including different sources of pollutants and activities that generate a broader range of indoor pollutants. This Guide applies to multifamily residential buildings containing at least five residential dwelling units that share one or more building systems. Each multifam- ily dwelling unit typically shares at least a floor or a ceiling and one or more walls with other dwelling units. Multifamily residential buildings can range from low-rise to high-rise buildings. A low-rise multifam- ily residential building is a structure of up to three stories, a mid-rise multifamily residential building has four or five stories, and a high-rise multifamily residen- tial building has six stories or more. This document provides guidance for conducting multifamily building assessments and identifying common IAQ and safety Section 1: Introduction concerns, and can help improve the quality of multi- family residential building upgrade projects. Given the unique complexities of multifamily residen- tial buildings, this Guide differs from EPA's protocols for single-family homes. For example, the following issues can be significantly different in, or unique to, multifamily residential buildings: • Environmental Tobacco Smoke • Garage Air Pollutants • Pests • Radon • Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Equip- ment • Compartmentalization to Prevent Odor or Unwant- ed Air Transfer • Local Exhaust • Mechanical Ventilation Systems for Individual Dwelling Units • Mechanical Ventilation Systems for Multiple Dwell- ing Units • Natural (Not Fan-Powered) Ventilation Systems • Multifamily Building Safety • Protecting IAQ During Construction • Operations and Maintenance Staff Training • Occupant Education This Guide is intended for use during multifamily residential building upgrades, renovations and re- modeling, including energy efficiency upgrades. The intended audience includes rehabilitation profession- als, contractors and others involved with renovation and remodeling efforts, including energy-focused residential retrofits. The Guide also can be adopted or used by federal, state, tribal and local weatherization assistance programs; federally funded housing pro- grams; industry standards organizations; private sector home performance organizations; and other contract- ing organizations. EPA developed this voluntary Guide in coordination with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Standard Work Specifications for Multi-Family Home Energy Upgrades. Programs and contractors undertaking building up- grades are encouraged to coordinate their activities with local health and housing resources for multifam- ily residential buildings to provide building owners, property managers and occupants the support they may need.