English

Achieving better energy efficiency requires dwellings to face a delicate equilibrium, balancing thermal comfort and indoor air quality. This longitudinal study uses crowdsourced data collected over a year from 15 residences in Santiago, Chile, to examine the intricate relationship between these two parameters and the houses' typology. Results highlight considerable variability in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations and thermal comfort across the sample. PM concentrations are below the worldwide representative value, but the maximum values are above the representative maximum.

Improving the energy performance of a building has been shown to improve health outcomes in fuel poor homes (Wang et al., 2022).  However, increasing building air tightness through provision of increased insulation, without due regard to building ventilation, can result in poorer air quality and impaired health for residents, in particular impaired respiratory health (Wimalasena et al., 2021; McGill et al., 2015; Ferguson et al., 2020).

The BENEFIT project evaluates the indoor environmental quality in non-domestic buildings where energy efficiency upgrades will be implemented; a baseline for indoor air quality hass been established across 50+ environments prior to the commencement of retrofit activities. Initial findings in pre-retrofit environments reveal widespread underventilation and the significant influence of outdoor PM2.5 levels indoors in existing classroom and office environments. Detailed pre-retrofit results will be presented at an upcoming conference. 

Nowadays, the building sector faces many challenges on occupant and resource levels. Given many indoor environmental quality (IEQ) complaints collected by field surveys, the first challenge is to provide comfort improvements. The second challenge is to be able to do so without unjustifiably increasing energy costs. The main reason why buildings face such issues is the implementation of IEQ management systems that target the entire space – even unoccupied zones. This doesn’t guarantee comfort and wastes building resources.

This session will begin with providing an overview of presence Personal Environmental Control Systems (PECS) related mention in various countries national codes and standards formulated by industry organizations. It will then articulate possible entry points for PECS in policy document such as building codes, health and safety code and voluntary building performance rating programs. Towards end, it will identify market barriers, market challenges and market opportunities that may aid widespread deployment of PECS.  

Personal Environmental Control Systems (PECS) enable to individually control the environment in the immediate surroundings of an occupant regarding the thermal, air quality, acoustic, and/or luminous domain without directly influencing the entire space and other occupants’ environment. Although many studies on the influence on the respective comfort and acceptance in relation to the different domains already exist and estimates of energy savings have already been made, PECS have not yet established themselves on the market across the board.

This summary highlights the benefits of PECS for occupants’ health, comfort, and cognitive performance. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, focusing on terms related to personalised conditioning, air quality, lighting, and acoustics. Relevant studies were identified and reviewed. 

Daycare centers (DCCs) are pivotal in early childhood development, serving as a primary indoor environment for young children. A notable feature of DCCs, especially in the Netherlands, is the use of semi-enclosed baby beds for children aged 0-4 years. These beds provide safety and comfort but pose challenges in maintaining healthy air quality due to their enclosed design, which is critical given infants' vulnerability to pollutants and extended daytime sleep.

When making homes more sustainable, the emphasis is on scaling up to achieve the climate and energy objectives. Little attention is paid to air quality in homes, despite the fact that an estimated 98% of the Dutch homes do not meet the WHO's 2021 annual guideline value for PM2.5. Tackling sustainability and the indoor environment hand in hand is therefore important.

More than 70% of the dwellings in Chile were built before 2000, when the use of thermal insulation in the roofs of residential buildings became mandatory. This explains why less than 2% of dwellings are considered energy efficient. Social housing is no exception. Several studies have shown poor thermal performance of the envelope of social housing throughout the country, with low levels of thermal comfort and indoor air quality that affect the health of its occupants.