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

Author

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  • Paula Ala-Kotila

    (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., PO Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT Espoo, Finland)

  • Terttu Vainio

    (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., PO Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT Espoo, Finland)

  • Jarmo Laamanen

    (VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., PO Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT Espoo, Finland)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Paula Ala-Kotila & Terttu Vainio & Jarmo Laamanen, 2020. "The Influence of Building Renovations on Indoor Comfort—A Field Test in an Apartment Building," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-18, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:13:y:2020:i:18:p:4958-:d:417125
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lina La Fleur & Patrik Rohdin & Bahram Moshfegh, 2018. "Energy Use and Perceived Indoor Environment in a Swedish Multifamily Building before and after Major Renovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-20, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Katarzyna Ratajczak & Małgorzata Basińska, 2021. "The Well-Being of Children in Nurseries Does Not Have to Be Expensive: The Real Costs of Maintaining Low Carbon Dioxide Concentrations in Nurseries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-19, April.
    2. Joaquín Torres-Ramo & Purificación González-Martínez & Nerea Arriazu-Ramos & Ana Sánchez-Ostiz, 2020. "Influence of the Water Vapour Permeability of Airtight Sheets on the Behaviour of Facade," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-18, December.
    3. Pedro J. Zarco-Periñán & Irene M. Zarco-Soto & Fco. Javier Zarco-Soto & Rafael Sánchez-Durán, 2021. "Influence of Population Income on Energy Consumption for Heating and Its CO 2 Emissions in Cities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-18, July.
    4. Artur Miszczuk & Dariusz Heim, 2020. "Parametric Study of Air Infiltration in Residential Buildings—The Effect of Local Conditions on Energy Demand," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-17, December.

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