LAPSE:2023.26595
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.26595
The Influence of Building Renovations on Indoor Comfort—A Field Test in an Apartment Building
Paula Ala-Kotila, Terttu Vainio, Jarmo Laamanen
April 3, 2023
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.
Keywords
deep renovation, exhaust air heat pump, field test, heat recovery system, housing, indoor air quality, supply air window, trickle vent
Suggested Citation
Ala-Kotila P, Vainio T, Laamanen J. The Influence of Building Renovations on Indoor Comfort—A Field Test in an Apartment Building. (2023). LAPSE:2023.26595
Author Affiliations
Ala-Kotila P: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., PO Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT Espoo, Finland [ORCID]
Vainio T: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., PO Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT Espoo, Finland
Laamanen J: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., PO Box 1000, FI-02044 VTT Espoo, Finland
Journal Name
Energies
Volume
13
Issue
18
Article Number
E4958
Year
2020
Publication Date
2020-09-22
ISSN
1996-1073
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Original Submission
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PII: en13184958, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.26595
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https://doi.org/10.3390/en13184958
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