White House Summit on Sustainable Buildings January 24, 2006 William Fisk* Sr. Scientist, Department Head Indoor Environment Department Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Economic Benefits of Improved IAQ, Health, and Productivity in Sustainable Buildings

How Sustainable Buildings Could Improve Health & Productivity Green/Sustainable Buildings Superior Work Performance Economic Benefits Better Health Reduced Health Care Costs Less Absence Thermal state Hearing and concentration Vision Mood Mental performance Improved Indoor Environmental Quality Better design, construction, commissioning & O&M

How Sustainable/Green Buildings (seek to) Provide Better IAQ  Specified compliance with thermal comfort and ventilation standards (better temperature control and ventilation than in typical buildings?)  Credits for low emission sources of volatile organic compounds  Credits for tobacco smoke control  More often use natural ventilation / less often use air conditioning  Credits for commissioning which may improve building operation and IAQ

The Costs of People Overshadow Building Costs Source : Woods (1989) Occupational Medicine 4: Significance Very small percentage improvements in work performance will pay for large percentage increases in operation and maintenance costs.

Health Care Costs Are Substantial *U.S. Data from 1995 or 1996

Some Known or Suspected Beneficial Characteristics of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ)  Higher ventilation rate  Better temperature control  Better lighting quality?  Improved acoustics ?  Higher ventilation rate  Reduced allergens and chemicals  No indoor smoking  Reduced moisture problems Improved Work Performance Health-Related Economic Benefits

The Evidence: Part 1, Temperature Major Point  High and low temperature is associated with objectively measured decrements in work performance

Source: Statistical analysis of research data from 24 studies relating temperature with objectively measured work performance outcomes Seppanen and Fisk (2005) Relative Work Performance vs. Temperature (maximum performance at at 21.8 o C, 72 o F )

Estimated Economic Value of Work Performance Changes from 1 o C (1.8 o F) Shift in Temperature Toward Optimum Temp. Change Increase in Performance Annual Economic Benefit Per Worker* 19 to 20 o C 66.2 to 68 o F 0.9%$ to 21 o C 68 to 69.8 o F 0.4%$ to 22 o C 73.4 to 71.6 o F 0.3%$ to 23 o C 75.2 to 73.4 o F 0.6%$600 *Assuming $100K cost per worker for salaries and benefits

The Evidence: Part 2, Ventilation Major Points  Higher ventilation rate (higher rate of outdoor air supply) is associated with objectively measured improvements in work performance  Higher ventilation rate is associated with reduced respiratory illness, less absence, and reduced sick building symptoms

Performance relative to performance with 6.5 L/s-person (13 cfm/person) Current minimum for offices in most codes Classroom code minimum L/s-person cfm/person 0 Source: Statistical analysis of research data from 10 studies relating ventilation with objectively measured work performance outcomes; Seppanen, Fisk, Lei-Gomez (Indoor Air Journal 2005)

An example of data on ventilation and short term sick leave Short term sick leave 12 L/s 24 L/s per person 1.16 % 1.96 % 1.6 days per year (Milton et al. 2000) 24 cfm48 cfm per person 40 buildings in study

Estimated Average Value of 5 L/s-person (10 cfm/person) Increase in Minimum Ventilation Rate  Better Work Performance  0.42% performance increase  +$420 per worker per year*  Reduced Absence  0.7 days per year (per Milton et al. 2000, assuming linear)  +$250 per worker per year  Energy cost  $6 to $12 per person per year (with avg energy prices)  can reduce energy costs with heat recovery or other technologies  use of 100% outdoor air for free cooling in mild weather should simultaneously save energy, improve performance, and reduce absence *at $100K salary plus benefits

The Evidence: Part 3, Building Moisture & Mold Major Points  Moisture problems and mold are associated with respiratory symptoms and asthma exacerbation  Moisture and mold are common in all building types and occur in HVAC systems  The solution is prevention and remediation of dampness problems

Increased Health Effects in Buildings with Dampness or Mold Homes (meta-analysis of available data)  77% (47% - 112) more cough [19 studies]  81% (45% to 126%) more wheeze [16 studies]  51% (41% to 62%) more with current asthma [10 studies] Workplaces (only a few studies performed)  Examples  US office building with history of dampness  Current asthma was 120% of normal  12% of sick leave attributable to respiratory symptoms at work  Working in moldy buildings in Finland  54% more adults developed asthma  Working in moldy building in Sweden  300% more adults developed asthma  In 80 complaint US office buildings where drainage of cooling coil drain pan was poor, number of occupants with multiple asthma symptoms was increased by 260%* *Note: Findings not replicated in analyses of data from 100 non-complaint office buildings

Economic Benefits of Avoiding Dampness /Mold in Workplaces  Reduced number of workers with current asthma symptoms  Less absence, better work performance, health care savings  Reduction in other health symptoms that may impair work performance  Better work performance?  Avoided potentially large, but highly variable, costs of building investigations and remediation  Mold remediation cost has exceeded original building cost

Economic Benefits of Measures that Prevent Sick Building Syndrome Symptoms Better ventilation Avoid high temp Avoid air conditioning Less mold & dampness Reduce VOCs? Superior Work Performance Economic Benefits Avoided building investigations and remediation Fewer sick building syndrome symptoms

Conclusions  IAQ improvements in workplaces can bring substantial economic benefits  From better work performance  From improved health  Potential economic benefits are large relative to costs of improved building design or operation, although uncertainty remains high  Sustainable/green buildings aim for better IAQ  if realized in practice the economic benefits may be large  Changes in the specifications/credits for sustainable buildings could bring about additional and more clearly documented economic benefits  Recommend greater focus on ventilation rates and on reducing dampness

Backup Slides Follow

% Change in Performance per 1 o C Increase in Temperature –Meta Analysis Unweighted Sample-size weighted Sample size & outcome weighted % Increase in Performance per 1 o C Source: Seppanen, Fisk, Lei-Gomez (2005)

Unweighted Sample-size weighted Sample size & outcome weighted Performance Change (%) Ventilation Rate L/s-person 90% Confidence Interval 95% Confidence Interval 1 L/s = 2 cfm Source: Seppanen, Fisk, Lei-Gomez (Indoor Air Journal) Increase in work performance per 10 L/s-person increase in ventilation rate

Air Conditioning (AC) Link to Increased SBS Symptoms in Offices Source: Seppanen and Fisk, Indoor Air Journal 2002 Type of ventilation system = Significantly more symptoms = Reference Group = Same #