Simulation Analysis of a Hybrid Ventilation System to Improve Internal Air Quality and Energy Performance of Buildings: A Case Study of a Residential Unit in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Abstract Improving Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is one of the most, if not the most, essential factors in defeating sick building syndrome (SBS) and achieving the health and well-being of occupants inside the built environment, in which people spend about 90% of their time. Good ventilation is one of the important factors in improving IAQ, and it has been handled by many researchers. In spite of the emerging smart mechanical ventilation systems said to have the power to achieve thermal comfort for internal spaces using minimum energy, it has been reported that the energy consumption of the housing sector is still high, and the IAQ is not up to the healthy levels. This represents the problem and incentive of this chapter, which aims, through a descriptive and experimental methodology, to overcome the challenge of achieving the balance between energy efficiency and healthy IAQ. Results showed that a proposed hybrid ventilation system, natural and mechanical, could achieve the thermal comfort levels of internal spaces while enhancing both the IAQ and the building energy performance. The importance of this chapter emerges from the dual effect of its results related to achieving both sustainability and human well-being.