Undergraduate Abstract
Anthony Miller
May 2003
Qualitative Measurements of Occupant Comfort in Five U.S. Schools
A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction
of the requirement for the degree of
Bachelor of Arts
In
Department of Environmental Studies
University of Nevada Las Vegas
by
Anthony Miller
May 2003
Content Adviser:
Emilio Braganza, Director, Center for Indoor Environments U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Class Advisors:
Dr. Helen Neill, Department of Environmental Studies, UNLV
helen.neill@unlv.edu, ENV499B
Dr. Krystyna Stave, Department of Environmental Studies, UNLV
krystyna.stave@unlv.edu, ENV499A
ABSTRACT
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) performed indoor air quality studies in five U.S. schools during energy retrofits during 1997-98. Four EPA reports and three Environmental Health and Engineering, Inc. (EH&E) reports illustrated the indoor environmental quality before and after heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) retrofits at specific elementary schools in Texas, Colorado, Minnesota, New Jersey, and California. Selected comfort, environmental, physical, and occupant response data were collected in randomly selected areas over a one-week, five-school day monitoring period for each of these schools.
The EPA studied indoor air quality (IAQ) and occupant comfort using an EPA Indoor Environmental Quality Survey. The questionnaire asked the building occupants at the schools about how they thought their building environment and work affected them. Within in the school building studies, the EPA measured sound, indoor temperature, relative humidity, continuous light, airborne particle concentrations, individual volatile organic compounds (VOC's), formaldehyde, particulates, bacteria and fungi, radon, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Selected comfort, environmental, and physical data were collected in selected areas over a three contiguous school day monitoring period. A baseline and follow-up study was conducted for each school. Survey information possibly suggests that occupant comfort improved after HVAC retrofits, albeit the findings are inconclusive.
The focus of the paper was to determine if occupant comfort improved, decreased, or remained neutral after energy retrofits in the five U. S. schools. Selected measurement data and applicable questionnaire data was summarized for each school and then compared between the pre-study and the post study years.
UPDATE
Anthony Miller joined the UNLV Department of Environmental Studies Program in Jan. 2000 as a transfer student from Montana State University. Through the internship program that is in cooperation with the Environmental Studies Department, Anthony worked as an intern for Southwest Gas Corporation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Anthony is currently employed as a Natural Resource Technician for the Colorado River Commission of Nevada and provides environmental related technical and administrative support to the Colorado River Commission for management of its water and power resources. Mr. Miller has been involved with a number of Colorado River projects and programs including the Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program, The Colorado River Salinity Control Forum and the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program. Mr. Miller obtained his M.S. in Water Resources Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2007.