Indoor air quality control: The challenges and responsibilities of HVAC researchers in the new century

Since Willis Haviland Carrier, USA, invented the air-conditioner in 1902, air conditioning developed as a component of the discipline later known as heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC). Air conditioning undergoes the three stages: creating a suitable indoor climate for industry; creating an indoor environment with thermal comfort; and improving the energy efficiency of HVAC systems. After the 1970’s world energy crisis, developed countries encountered indoor air quality (IAQ) problems that were harmful to health accompanying highlighting the building energy efficiency and using in large scale artificial materials which emit pollutants in indoor environments. With rapid development of modernization and urbanization, China’s IAQ problems, although appearing about 20 years later than developed countries, become more serious. Thus, the HVAC researchers are faced with unprecedented challenges in how to effectively control temperature, humidity and air pollutants in the indoor environment. The scientific and technologic problems require multi-disciplinary efforts. The HVAC researchers should learn from other disciplines and develop novel academic ideas, routes and achievements by grafting the knowledge and methods of other disciplines onto their own. Thus, they can achieve the goal of creating and maintaining a “sustainable indoor environment” that features healthy, acceptable and energy efficient. In this way, the scope of the HVAC discipline will be expanded and its content refreshed and deepened. These are the responsibilities of HVAC researchers in the new century.