Indoor PM2.5 and building energy consumption in nine typical residential neighborhoods in Nanjing under different ventilation strategies caused by traffic-related PM2.5 dispersion

Traffic-related PM2.5 seriously endangers human health and affects the energy consumption of building ventilation systems. This study investigates the impact of different ventilation strategies caused by traffic-related PM2.5 dispersion on indoor PM2.5 concentration and building energy consumption of nine typical residential neighborhoods in Nanjing using EnergyPlus software. Results of a third-floor apartment in a six-story slab-type parallel layout residential neighborhood (6F-Sp) show that strategy 1 (window opening, OW) and strategy 7 (natural and mechanical ventilation, NV&MV-TC) can maintain indoor PM2.5 concentration below 25 μg/m3. The NV&MV-TC strategy is chosen to simulate indoor PM2.5 concentrations and cooling/heating energy consumption in nine neighborhoods. The building cooling energy consumption range is 21.2–41.5 kW•h/m2, while the heating energy consumption is 14.9–74.7 kW•h/m2. In the cooling season, the hybrid ventilation strategy shows the lowest cooling energy consumption, followed by window closure with operating indoor air purifiers. Apartments employing window closure with mechanical ventilation have the highest cooling energy consumption. In the heating season, the most energy-efficient strategy is window closure with operating indoor air purifiers, followed by the hybrid ventilation strategy. The indoor PM2.5 concentration negatively correlates with the frontal area index (λf). This study provides valuable information for residential ventilation strategies and guides residents' behaviors in cooling/heating seasons. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd