The Influence of Building Renovations on Indoor Comfort—A Field Test in an Apartment Building

Paula Ala-Kotila,Jarmo Laamanen,Terttu Vainio

doi:10.3390/en13184958

Abstract

This article presents a field test of how deep renovation affects indoor climate quality. The studied apartment building was built in 1968 and is located in Finland, within the Nordic climate zone. The deep renovation included façade repair with extra insulation, new windows with trickle vents, new balcony glass and doors, and the installation of an exhaust air heat pump into the existing mechanical exhaust air ventilation. The indoor climate conditions and building envelope tightness were measured before and after the renovation. As a result of these energy renovation measures, the building envelope tightness improved by nearly 40% and the uncontrolled supply of air (draughts) decreased by approximately 24%. The overall energy consumption of the building decreased by 45%. Above all, the long testing period gives credibility to the study. The field test brought up the challenge of supplying an adequate amount of fresh air. This article highlights the fact that windows are part of a mechanical ventilation system if fresh air is not controlled by being led through inlet ducts. The supply air flow and volume must be ensured by correctly dimensioned valves, and therefore we stress the importance of the technical cooperation of technical designers.

Highlights

Buildings and building construction account for almost one third of global final energy consumption, as well as for nearly 40% of total direct and indirect greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide (CO2 )) emissions [1].in the European Union, buildings are responsible for the largest proportion of energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions [2], and residential buildings account for 23% of total energy consumption in the European Union [3]
In the European Union, buildings are responsible for the largest proportion of energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions [2], and residential buildings account for 23% of total energy consumption in the European Union [3]
Renovation impacts on the energy consumption of buildings, it considerably influences the indoor climate conditions. This has been recognised by the European Union [7,8,9], which—besides emphasising the low energy consumption, reductions in CO2 emissions and improved energy efficiency in the building sector [10]—emphasises the indirect benefits achieved by renovations

Summary

Introduction

In the European Union, buildings are responsible for the largest proportion of energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions [2], and residential buildings account for 23% of total energy consumption in the European Union [3]. Renovation impacts on the energy consumption of buildings, it considerably influences the indoor climate conditions. This has been recognised by the European Union [7,8,9], which—besides emphasising the low energy consumption, reductions in CO2 emissions and improved energy efficiency in the building sector [10]—emphasises the indirect benefits achieved by renovations.

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion