Installing Continuously Venting Range Hoods to Improve IAQ: Lessons from the Field

Do the homes that you serve have gas stoves? It is well-documented that gas stoves can generate excessive levels of indoor contaminants. Tightening the building envelope for energy efficiency can potentially make the problem worse. A common way to address IAQ concerns (and meet ASHRAE 62 requirements) is to install a continuously venting exhaust fan in a bath. But what if you had the opportunity to install an Energy Star rated, quiet, continuously venting range hood instead? Over the past four years, NCHH and ICRT studied this solution in single family homes in Illinois and Colorado. We will share our findings with you, including whether IAQ contaminant levels went down after fan installation and whether range hoods performed better than bath exhaust fans. In addition, we'll share some lessons learned from the field. As a sneak peek, we found that installing range hoods in existing homes was a lot harder than we thought, and we expected it to be hard! Come find out why.