ACTIVE NOISE COOLING VENTS FOR NEW HOMES

ACTIVE NOISE COOLING VENTS FOR NEW HOMES
GL Waters BSc (Hons). AMIOA. Hoare Lea LLP
B Jobling MSc, BSc (Hons). MIOA. Hoare Lea LLP
1 INTRODUCTION
This paper presents the feasibility of incorporating active noise control technology into ventilation openings to reduce environmental noise ingress to modern residential buildings during periods of
overheating.
There is now a mass of evidence that for numerous modern buildings in the UK. particularly new homes and schools constructed over the last decade, excessive internal temperatures are a problem'. Initiatives are undenNay. for example, the issue sits high on the agenda for the CIBSE Homes for the Future Group, and the Association of Noise Consultants (ANC) has formed a working group to help
develop guidance on the issue for the acoustic industry.
The cause of the overheating problem is not due simply to a single factor. the drive for improved thermal insulation is commonly accused. and whilst it is a key inuence. there are other contributory considerations such as building orientation. thermal mass, extent of glazing. uninsulated pipework
and ventilation? ☂
The obvious and well rooted solution to an overheating room is to open windows ☜to let some air in and heal out". A simple open window strategy requires no energy. no additional cost (and arguably no thought). However. in our towns and cities where proximity to transport links is an expected convenience. we are often not far from noise. Where the approach of relying on opening windows is adopted as a means to relieve overheating. there will be a risk that occupants may be exposed to unhealthy levels of noise.
it is well established that noise can have adverse health effects including annoyance. sleep disturbance. cognitive impairment to cardiovascular diseases - the World Health Organisation (WHO) has identied environmental noise as the second most signicant environmental pollutant in European cities, after air pollution. There are many other statistics which indicate the importance of noise. The National Noise Attitude Survey in 2012. for example. identied that 48% of the 2,750 people surveyed in England and Wales felt that their home life was being spoilt by noise, with one in ve saying it kept them awake at night☜. There is clear evidence that the adverse effects of noise have a consequential burden. An interdepartmental group of economists estimated the annual cost of urban road noise alone in England was £7-10 billion☜.
The challenge is how we achieve a practical balance of mitigating overheating and noise simultaneously in the new homes we build. The signicance of the need is borne out when considering that current demand requires some 250.000 new homes to be built every years. If the issue is not tackled with urgency. we risk growing a stock of poor quality buildings which may be implicated in adverse health effects and an economic burden.
This paper offers consideration of an innovative smart technology approach. where the principles of active noise control. developed and tested originally some decades ago, could help to reduce the unwieldy and unattractive large dimensional requirements of through wall vents which are both capable of passing equivalent air volumes to an open window whilst also attenuating unwanted outdoor noise