Interior noise levels in passive solar residences

Typical single family dwellings with passive solar heating systems involve large open plan areas. Multilevel designs often incorporate open plans within and between levels. Current design practice for passive solar residences commonly utilizes hard interior surface treatments and furnishings—primarily wood, metal, glass, or masonry. The combination of open plan design and acoustically hard surfaces can result in unacceptable interior noise levels. The results of a detailed noise survey conducted in a typical passive solar home are presented. The data reveal that household appliances, HVAC equipment, and home entertainment equipment can all cause excessive interior noise levels. Sound levels in excess of 80 dBA and NC values greater than 60 were observed in living areas of the home. These results indicate that boundary absorption is as important in open plan residential design as it is known to be in open plan commercial and institutional design. [Work supported by the Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station and the Engineering Research Institute.]