DESCRIPTION OF THE SESSION

The main objective of the topical session is to highlight the importance of performance-based regulations to achieve adequate IAQ in line with advanced energy efficiency requirements.

Performance-based regulations enable high quality standards by characterising and quantifying the required performance of buildings. These performances can be met in a flexible way with different solutions, thus allowing for innovation. In contrast, prescriptive regulations impose fixed solutions in order to comply with the necessary requirements, which can be a barrier to innovation. Furthermore, performance-based regulations allow requirements to be met in a more optimised and tailored way adapted to the particular conditions of each case.

Regarding IAQ requirements, performance-based regulations promote the use of smart ventilation systems, which facilitates the desired balance between IAQ and energy efficiency.

The topical session will provide an update on the state of the art of IAQ regulations in dwellings. It will review the most advanced performance-based regulations in Spain and France, and highlight obstacles and difficulties in their implementation, such as their use in naturally ventilated dwellings. Additionally, an IAQ estimation model for naturally ventilated dwellings will be presented to help overcome this issue. Finally, potential future changes to the performance-based IAQ regulations will be discussed, including new challenges such as the consideration of harm to people.

OBJECTIVES OF THE SESSION

• To highlight the importance of performance-based regulations to achieve adequate IAQ in line with advanced energy efficiency requirements.
• To update the state of the art of IAQ regulations in dwellings, highlighting obstacles and difficulties in their application.
• To present an IAQ estimation model for naturally ventilated dwellings.
• To discuss potential future changes in performance-based IAQ regulation.

SESSION PROGRAMME

1. The importance of performance-based regulations. Review of existing IAQ regulations. Gaëlle Guyot, CEREMA, France.
2. The IAQ performance-based regulation in Spain: Indicators, metrics, verification method, accepted solutions, identified problems for its application, and foreseen changes. Pilar Linares-Alemparte, IETcc-CSIC, Spain.
3. Assessing IAQ in existing residential buildings within a performance-based regulatory framework through a predictive model based on readily available parameters. Sonia García-Ortega, IETcc-CSIC, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.
4. The IAQ performance-based regulation in France: Indicators and determination of threshold values. Valerie Leprince, IEAQ, France.
5. How future IAQ performance-based regulations should consider harm. Benjamin Jones, University of Nottingham, United Kingdom.

SESSION CHAIRS

1. Pilar Linares-Alemparte, IETcc-CSIC, Spain.
2. Sonia García-Ortega, IETcc-CSIC, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.

SESSION DURATION

• 75 minutes