Ventilation Standards

Resolved that the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB):

1. Urge the federal government, and private sector codes and standards developers, to work cooperatively together, and with NAHB and the Home Innovation Research Labs, to conduct sound research on ventilation for acceptable indoor air quality that:
   1. More precisely identifies and quantifies the indoor air quality conditions that exist in homes, and
   2. Determines the true impact of proposed requirements for ventilation systems and related energy consumption on housing affordability.
2. Support federal legislation to provide research funding to evaluate the indoor air quality issue.
3. Support indoor air quality research regarding residential housing.
4. Support development of practical and affordable solutions to any regional or national problem that may result from those conditions, ensuring those solutions take into account regional climate conditions.

Further resolved that NAHB supports the ventilation requirement, in codes and standards, of openable windows or passive stack vents (in applicable buildings) in kitchen and bathrooms in lieu of mechanical ventilation systems or externally vented exhaust fans.

Further resolved that NAHB oppose any new indoor air quality ventilation requirements in legislation or construction codes and standards for all residential buildings until such time that it is demonstrated through field studies including pollutant levels and air infiltration rates, that a significant indoor air quality problem exists, is solved by additional ventilation, and that the problem cannot be addressed by source control and/or better design of ventilation systems.

Resolution originally adopted: 2018.7, Resolution No.5

Committee of jurisdiction:

• Construction, Codes & Standards Committee