New BPIE report released: " Indoor Air Quality, Thermal Comfort and Daylight"

This report deals with Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), thermal comfort and daylight requirements in Belgium (Brussels Region), Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden and the UK (England and Wales) and focuses on the respective building codes for new and existing residential buildings. More specifically, the publication aims at providing an overview of the regulatory framework for IAQ, thermal comfort and daylight, underlines the significance of having appropriate requirements for thermal comfort, ventilation and daylight conditions and concludes with recommendations for further policy development in respect to indoor climate.

Minimum energy performance requirements have already been set by the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, 2010/31/EU) and buildings are becoming more airtight and better insulated to prevent heat loss. Along with the improvement of building airtightness comes also the need to ensure a good indoor climate and air exchange in buildings (avoid mould, polluted outdoor air). It is specifically mentioned in article 4 of the EPBD that “minimum energy performance requirements shall take account of general indoor climate conditions, in order to avoid possible negative effects such as inadequate ventilation…”Meeting the energy performance requirements demands treating indoor air quality and other aspects of indoor climate with the same level of importance as energy efficiency.

Download the full report at:  http://bpie.eu/indoor.html#.VTT16fmUdTD