Historical development of IEQ in Danish Dwellings - Has energy efficiency requirements inhibited positive IEQ developments?

Abstract

This paper investigates developments in indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and energy efficiency over the last 150 years. Sixty-one Danish multistory dwellings were registered and scored using a newly developed IEQ assessment tool called IV20. An overview of this scoring is presented, indicating which IEQ issues have been solved, which remain unsolved, and which new ones have arisen. IEQ developments are compared to developments in energy consumption, to test the hypothesis that some initiatives to reduce energy consumption comes at the expense of occupant comfort and health. An overview of energy efficiency developments for Danish multistory dwellings is given through analysis of data from the Danish energy labelling database. The results show a solid positive development in energy efficiency and a very modest improvement in potential IEQ. Results suggest that positive IEQ developments may have been inhibited by energy efficiency initiatives and that further IEQ advances may depend on a change of political priorities.