This study reports on the changes in annual energy operating costs and in equipment sizing that result from increased minimum outside air ventilation rates. The analysis is based on parametric DOE-2.1C simulations for a large office building in 10 different U.S. and three Canadian locations. In the simulations, minimum ventilation rates are increased from 2.5 liters per second per person (L/s.person) or 5 cubic feet per minute per person (cfm/person) to 10.0 L/s.person or 20 cfm/person. Annual building energy costs are calculated using current electricity and natural gas tariffs for each location. The results suggest that, for the building and climates examined, higher minimumo utside air ventilation rates will affect equipment-sizing decisions relatively more than they will affect annual building energy use. Increases in annual energy operating costs were small (less than 5%), because electricity is the dominant component of cost and electricity is used primarily for non-space-conditioning purposes. Estimates of the increase in HVAfCir st cost suggest that higher ventilation rates will have small effects (less than 0.5%) on total building construction costs.

Units: SI