Energy efficient and healthy buildings

Monica Gullberg, ÅF Process, Sweden
Egil Öfverholm, Swedish Energy Agency, (STEM), Sweden
Magnus Bengtsson and Nikolaj Tolstoy, National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, Sweden

Keywords

evaluation, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, end user demand, audit, energy in buildings

Abstract

Indoor environment has become an important subject matter in Scandinavia since increasingly many buildings demonstrate poor indoor air quality, problems with mould and other sick building syndromes.

There are worries that the malignity is derived from tighter constructions and more sparse ventilation since problems have been escalating contemporary to better energy efficiency in the building stock.

Based on this possible linkage, Sweden has decided to include also indoor environment aspects in the implementation of the directive on energy declaration of buildings. By the same token, a co-operation between the Swedish Energy Agency (STEM) and the National Board of Housing, Building and Planning is underway where more than 100 schools are investigated regarding their energy usage patterns as well as their indoor environment status. Results from this inventory will be elaborated in this paper.

The hypothesis for the investigation is that it is quite possible to demonstrate energy efficient and healthy buildings, and therefore results will give no significant statistical linkage between poor indoor quality and low specific energy use. Preliminary findings underpin this assumption. The paper will discuss the factors and their statistical interaction in more detail, and a discussion will be held on what other reasons there can be behind the sick buildings.

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