In response to concerns about the impacts of climate change, Government is seeking to reduce the use of fossil fuels in order to meet increasingly ambitious carbon reduction targets, now enshrined in primary legislation. One element of their strategy is to encourage the construction of high energy efficiency, low carbon homes, which meet the Passivhaus standard for ultra-low energy use for space heating or cooling. These buildings are more airtight which has led to concerns over the quality of indoor air and the subsequent development of mechanical vent systems (with or without heat recovery) to ensure that dangerous levels of potentially harmful gases, allergens or volatiles do not accumulate. Research (Carrer et al. 2009) has identified the following health effects related to poor indoor air quality: allergic and asthma symptoms, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), airborne respiratory infections, cardiovascular disease (CVD), odour and irritation (sick building syndrome symptoms).

In reality, health effects will be a function of the ability of mechanical vents to create good air quality and the knowledge and behaviour of occupants in operating and maintaining the vents. Furthermore, the knowledge of occupants of the risks associated with poor indoor air quality, and the importance of maintaining mechanical vents is unexplored and may be a causal factor in any subsequent health outcomes. Evidence already suggests that early benefits from improved occupants' knowledge of their energy consumption is short lived (Hargreaves et al., 2012), and this raises concerns over the extent to which occupant behaviour may counteract the air quality benefits of properly operated vents.

This project aims to:

• Establish an early evidence base for the health implications of existing mechanical vent technology (including considerations of its maintenance) against a baseline of older housing stock in the UK.
• Undertake an occupant survey of knowledge and perceptions of the risk of indoor air quality and survey of behaviour in terms of correctly operating and maintaining mechanical vent systems.

The project will require the use of epidemiological methods, and social science survey approaches, including interviews and questionnaire surveys, and their analysis through coding and application of appropriate statistical techniques. A grounded theory approach is likely to be most appropriate. Application of these methods will help to develop the following skills: Literature review and analysis, Questionnaire survey development and analysis, Interview techniques, Competence in use of software analysis packages including NVivo and the use of R for statistical analysis, Theory development, Epidemiological study development and analysis.

The research will benefit from collaboration with the Centre for the Built Environment, based on the Norwich Research Park. It will also be embedded in the 3S (Science, Society and Sustainability) research group (http://www.3s.uea.ac.uk/).

Carrer, P., Fanetti, AC., Forastiere, F., Holcatova, I., Molhave, L., Sundell, J., Viegi, G., Simoni, M. (2009) ENVIE Co-ordination action on indoor air quality and health effects. WP1 Final Report – Health effects. Available at: http://paginas.fe.up.pt/~envie/documents/finalreports/Final%20Reports%20
Publishable/EnVIE%20WP1%20Final%20Report.pdf. Last accessed 11/9/12.

Hargreaves, T, M Nye and J Burgess (2012), "Keeping energy visible? Exploring how householders interact with feedback from smart energy monitors in the longer term", Energy Policy.