The main objective of this study is to develop and test hybrid ventilation systems and control strategies that are suitable for residential buildings. Two ventilation systems were modelled: a mechanical extract ventilation system (called the reference system) and a hybrid low pressure ventilation system that can support two different types of demand control strategies (occupancy detection and CO2 concentration). The newly developed models were assembled with the existing thermal models of the SIMBAD Building and HVAC Toolbox developed by the CSTB. A single family house located in Athens (Greece), Nice (France), Trappes (France) and finally Stockholm (Sweden) was considered as the case study. Yearly simulations were performed to assess the performance of the hybrid ventilation control strategies. The assessment criteria used are related to indoor air quality, thermal comfort, energy consumption and stability of control strategies. The results show that the low pressure ventilation system can improve the indoor air quality and reduce the fan energy consumption compared to the reference system while maintaining the same building energy consumption for heating. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.