A comparative study on indoor air quality in a low cost and a green design house

Abstract

A study on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is important because people spend most of their time inside houses. IAQ was monitored in two different types of rural houses namely a low cost house and a “green” house built with pyramidal shape of roof in the rural area. Carbon monoxide (CO) and Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) concentrations were measured and analysed indoor and outdoor in both the type of houses. A statistical correlation analysis of indoor concentration levels with outdoor concentrations was carried out. The CO concentration in the low cost house 21.5 ppm and CO₂ concentration is 792 ppm. Similarly the CO was maximum with indoor concentrations 0.9 ppm (in Kitchen) and outdoor concentrations 0.4 ppm. CO₂ was maximum with indoor concentrations 435 ppm (in Kitchen) and outdoor concentrations 425 ppm in the green house. It can be seen from the above findings that the pollutant concentration in low cost house was higher than that of green house. The R² (statistical correlation) values for the concentration of CO at indoor are 0.56 and 0.47 in the kitchen and living room respectively in the green house. Similarly the value of R² for indoor is 0.73 and 0.52 in the kitchen and living room respectively for concentration CO₂ green house.

Key words: Carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, indoor air quality, low cost house, green house