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, one of 27 projects funded by NIST for measurement science and engineering research.

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,” Society president Gordon Holness said. “The results will provide a more rigorous basis for the ventilation rate requirements in retail spaces and provide incentives for improved maintenance.”

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.

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