Insulate

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Finnish abstract

EU - hankkeessa arvioidaan rakennusten energiatehokkuuden parantamisen vaikutuksia sisäympäristöön ja terveellisyyteen

Rakennusten sisäympäristön laatuun vaikuttavat muun muassa ilmanvaihto, lämpö- ja kosteusolosuhteet, sisäilman epäpuhtaudet kuten hiukkaset, mikrobit, kemialliset epäpuhtaudet ja radon, sekä melu ja valaistus. Energiatehokkuuden parantamisella voidaan vaikuttaa kaikkiin näihin tekijöihin. Tarkoituksena on löytää rakennusten käyttäjien terveyden ja hyvinvoinnin kannalta mahdollisimman positiiviset vaikutukset, joilla tuetaan rakennetun ympäristön kehittämistä kestävien periaatteiden mukaisesti. Edellytyksenä on kokonaisvaltainen arviointi, johon tarvittavaa mallia kehitetään ja testataan 2-3 Euroopan maassa.

EU:n Life+ -ohjelma maksaa puolet viisivuotisen hankkeen noin 1,85 miljoonan euron kustannuksista. Osa yksityisestä rahoituksesta tulee Energiateollisuuden ympäristöpoolilta. THL koordinoi hanketta. Suomalainen hankekumppani on Tampereen teknillinen yliopisto (TTY), joka vastaa rakennusteknisistä tutkimuksista. Liettuasta on mukana Kaunasin teknillinen yliopisto, joka vastaa altistumisen arviointiin liittyvistä tutkimuksista. Hankkeeseen osallistuvia yrityskumppaneita ovat muun muassa Skanska sekä Saint-Gobain Rakennustuotteet Oy.

Lisätietoja hankkeesta:

Ulla Haverinen-Shaughnessy, erikoistutkija / THL

Mari Turunen, tutkija / THL

puh. 029 524 6378

Sähköposti: etunimi.sukunimi(at)thl.fi

English abstract

Multinational project on Improving Energy Efficiency of Buildings: Impacts on Indoor Environmental Quality and Public Health in Europe

Indoor environmental quality is influenced by ventilation, thermal conditions, indoor air pollutants (particles, microbes, chemicals, radon), noise, and lighting. Improving energy efficiency of buildings can affect all these factors. Demonstrating the impacts that are most positive for occupants’ health and welfare would ultimately support sustainable practices in building construction, maintenance, and renovation of the existing building stock. A requirement is development of comprehensive assessment protocols. This project aims to test such protocol in 2-3 European countries.

Half of the 1.85 million euros budget is funded by EU Life+ programme. The project is coordinated by National Instutute for Health and Welfare (THL). In addition to THL, project co-beneficiaries include Tampere University of Technology (TUT, responsible for research related to the buildings) and Kaunas Technical Univeristy (KTU, responsible for exposure assessment). Part of the private sector funding comes from the Finnish Energy Industries. Other private sector partners include Skanska and SG Rakennustuotteet Ltd.

For more information about the project, contact Senior Researcher Ulla Haverinen-Shaughnessy / Researcher Mari Turunen, email firstname.lastname@thl.fi; tel. +358 29 524 6378.

Project description

The project description is based on Life+ database [1].

INSULATE - Improving energy efficiency of housing stock : impacts on indoor environmental quality and public health in Europe

LIFE09 ENV/FI/000573

Contact person : Ulla HAVERINEN-SHAUGHNESSY

  • Tel: +358 29 524 6362
  • Fax: +358 29 524 6497
  • Email: ulla.haverinen-shaughnessy (at) thl.fi


Project description:

Background

The 2002 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is designed to help the EU meet its commitments under the Kyoto agreement, and respond to issues raised in the Green Paper on the security of energy supply. It has a key role to play in promoting the identification and implementation of effective energy savings measures in the building sector, where residential buildings currently account for approximately 40% of energy use.

Objectives

The project will focus on the assessment of national programmes to improve the energy performance of existing housing stock, such as government supported improvements in thermal insulation, which is seen as a cost-effective and proven measure.

Specific objectives include:

  • To develop a common protocol for assessing the impacts of a building’s energy performance on indoor environmental quality and health and to establish an integrated approach for the assessment of environmental and health information, including demonstrating the use of relevant environmental and health indicators;
  • To demonstrate the effects (both positive and negative) of energy efficiency on Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) and health in two-to-three different European countries;
  • To develop guidelines to support the implementation of related policies; and
  • To facilitate transnational networking and the dissemination of information.

Expected results

At national level, the expected results include:

  • An annual reduction in energy consumption (Twh/m3/yr) through changes in the U-values of buildings and changes in energy performance related to certification in residential buildings;
  • Improvements in thermal conditions, through the optimisation of indoor temperatures and relative humidity;
  • Improvement in building structures, reducing the risk of damp/mould growth;
  • Improvements in indoor air quality though better ventilation (air exchange rate); and
  • Improvements in occupants’ behaviour, health and wellbeing, including improved cardio-respiratory health, a reduction in allergic diseases and increased thermal comfort.

Keywords

public health‚ survey‚ indicator‚ residential area‚ environmental assessment‚

Beneficiaries:

  • Coordinator: THL (The National Institute for Health and Welfare) is a research and advisory body that comes under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health in Finland. It has an important role in the area of environmental health, where both project and public health functions are carried out. The environmental health department has some 120 employees and has considerable experience in areas such as indoor environmental quality, microbes, asthma and allergies, drinking water, chemicals, and air pollution.
  • Partners:
    • Tampere University of Technology-Dept. of Civil Engineering, Finland
    • Kaunas University of Technology-Dept. of Environmental, Engineering, Lithuania

Administrative data:

  • Project reference LIFE09 ENV/FI/000573
  • Duration 01-SEP-2010 to 31-AUG -2015
  • Total budget 1,847,039.00 €
  • EU contribution 923,413.00 €
  • Project location Finland and Lithuania

From INSULAtE webpage

How does indoor environment change when energy efficiency of a building is improved?

Indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is influenced by ventilation, thermal conditions, and indoor air pollutants such as particles, microbes, chemical impurities, and radon.

INSULAtE-project aims to demonstrate how energy improvements impact on these indoor environmental parameters, and to develop a protocol for assessment of the impacts. In the first Phase, case study measurements will be performed in Finland and Lithuania, including 20 multi-family buildings per country (200 apartments). In the second Phase, the goal is to extend the assessment in a total of 50 multi-family buildings in Finland.

Project information

Project title is "Improving energy efficiency of housing stock: impacts on indoor environmental quality and public health in Europe" (acronym INSULAtE). The project started 1.9.2010 and the planned project duration is five years (until 31.8.2015). Project is co-financed by EU Life+ -funding (project Life number: LIFE09 ENV/FI/000573), which covers 50% of the 1,85 million Euros budget. Part of the funding comes from Finnish Energy Industries.

Partners

Partner Country Role Contact person Email Phone
National Institute for Health and Welfare Finland THL coordinates the project, and is responsible for health studies Ulla Haverinen-Shaughnessy, Senior Researcher, Project coordinator firstname.lastname(at)thl.fi +358 295246363
Mari Turunen, Researcher, Project manager +358 295246378
Tampere University of Technology Finland TUT is responsible for building related studies Virpi Leivo, Researcher firstname.lastname(at)tut.fi +358 401981961
Kaunas University of Technology Lithuania KTU is responsible for exposure assessment ʒʒ Dainius Martuzevicius, Associate Professor firstname.lastname(at)ktu.lt +370 37351008

List of all project members

1. INSULAtE project office

  • Ulla Haverinen-Shaughnessy, Coordinator
  • Mari Turunen, Project Manager
  • Tiina Räisänen, Financial Manager

2. INSULAtE project group

THL
  • Liuliu Du
  • Maria Pekkonen
  • Nina Partanen
  • Martin Táubel
  • Ritva Vasara
TUT
  • Virpi Leivo
  • Mihkel Kiviste
  • Anu Aaltonen
KTU
  • Dainius Martuzevicius
  • Tadas Prasauskas

3. Administration and oversight

THL
  • Anne Hyvärinen
TUT
  • Ralf Lindberg
KTU
  • Lina Seduikyte

Field studies

In Phase I, field studies will be performed in Finland and Lithuania, including 20 apartment buildings per country. Measurements will be done in about five apartments per building. In addition, information will be collected from the building owners and the occupants.

In Phase II, the goal is to extend the assessment in a total of 50 multifamily buildings in Finland. In addition, the goal is to include a set of single-family houses and school buildings. Both of these building types are important as potential areas of policy developments.

See also

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