LEAP-HI: Systemic, Anthro-centric Packages for Protecting Households In Realistic Exposure Situations (SAPPHIRES)

Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO

Investigators

Abstract

Infrastructure in the United States includes 100 million existing homes. Because people spend an average of 70 percent of their lives in the home environment, it is the site of exposure to air contaminants that originate either indoors or outdoors, and which are a leading cause of ill health. This Leading Engineering for America's Prosperity, Health, and Infrastructure (LEAP-HI) project advances understanding of how airflows through homes transport pollutants and how occupants interact with homes and technology. With this background, systems that match home performance, occupant behavior, and contractor delivery can be designed and deployed to reduce indoor concentrations of airborne contaminants. Attention is given to knowledge generation and solution delivery for low-income homes and their occupants, and providing information for home contractors who work in these settings. This deliberate, human-centered approach to managing air quality in home environments can reduce exposure to common air pollutants and provide resilience in a changing world with increased natural sources of pollution, such as wildfire smoke. This project redefines the residential indoor environment as an engineered system that includes homes, technology, occupants, and delivery mechanisms. Surveys will be used to explore how human attributes, including cognitive load and user trust, affect occupant priorities, responses to hazards, and the likelihood of engaging in maintenance and usage behaviors. Two models will be developed to determine when air treatment may be beneficial: an anticipatory model based on statistical analysis of observed outdoor air concentrations and machine-learning and a deterministic model that forecasts indoor concentrations based on physical principles and is adjusted to observed pressure differences. The project also develops whole-house pressurization to eliminate contaminants in outdoor air entering the home, contrasting this new approach with stand-alone air cleaners. Success of these models and treatments will be tested first in well-controlled homes, then in homes participating in City of Fort Collins programs. Finally, the project will test understanding of the system components that minimize air contaminants by measuring air contaminants in real homes with real occupants over several weeks. Home contractors involved in energy-efficiency upgrades will share information about physical and behavioral limitations, and in turn will gain knowledge on home air management through newly developed curricula. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.