<VELUX> It is time to connect healthy living with energy savings </VELUX>

The VELUX company organized an international conference "Healthy Building Day" in Brussels. The conclusion of this professional meeting clearly pointed out the necessity of linking the issue of healthy indoor environments with energy-saving requirements. The program was based on knowledge about healthy and comfortable living that VELUX gained through several years of experience from the Model Home 2020 project. As it turns out, a quality indoor environment is a priority for Europeans.     

The main topic of the "Healthy Building Conference" was the effort to find an answer to the question of how to ensure that more than 80 million Europeans currently living in unsuitable and damp buildings could secure a healthier indoor climate through adequate daylight and fresh air.  

VELUX has been involved in sustainable housing since 1999. Even back then, it participated in the first experiments. The initial goal – reducing the energy consumption of buildings – gradually evolved into a more comprehensive approach to construction: while it is necessary to build in harmony with the environment, we must also focus on the health and well-being of the inhabitants of these buildings. Sustainable housing must never be solely a matter of comfort or savings; it must always be accompanied by the effort to find solutions that benefit both people and the planet. 

In 2009, the company presented the Model Home 2020 program, which includes six buildings in five European countries. This project brought a wealth of useful insights, particularly regarding innovative living solutions based on the principles of the active house. Such a house functionally combines comfort, energy savings, and consideration for the environment. When these active houses were occupied by volunteer families, scientists monitored not only personal satisfaction but also focused on the indoor climate of the house and energy consumption.

It turned out that the large amounts of daylight let in by the spacious windows (covering approximately 30-50% of the living space) improved the mood and performance of the house's inhabitants.

“Legal regulations concerning buildings or housing construction should include standards for energy efficiency, but never at the expense of the health or well-being of the people living in them. Energy efficiency and a healthy indoor climate should go hand in hand with adequate daylight and fresh air. The Model Home 2020 program is convincing evidence that this is possible. The intense influx of daylight along with fresh air improved the health of families living in the carbon-neutral Model Home 2020 houses,” summarizes the findings from the project Michael K. Rasmussen, marketing director of VELUX Group.

But VELUX is not the only one addressing this issue. A number of architects, builders, politicians, specific manufacturers, as well as scientists and university staff have enthusiastically joined in developing pioneering and groundbreaking solutions based on the principle of the active house.

An example is the Fraunhofer Institute, which published a study last year stating that over 80 million Europeans live in health-hazardous and damp buildings. As a result, their risk of respiratory diseases, such as asthma, increases. The specialist report also notes that people spend an average of up to 90% of their total time indoors. This is precisely why the need for a comfortable indoor environment is so important. As the study further states, children who move in a healthy indoor climate show an increase in learning ability of about 15 percent. An interesting finding is also the conclusion that 90% of European buildings require renovations in accordance with sustainable housing principles.   

How important is a healthy indoor climate in buildings?
“Absolutely crucial. We spend more than 90% of our lives in indoor environments. Therefore, interiors should be bright, warm, and not harmful to health. However, healthy indoor environments should be considered with the same effort as the efforts to be environmentally friendly and cost-efficient. And this balance is the greatest strength of the Model Home 2020 project, which focuses on the needs of users as well as the physical or technical impacts,” says Peter Holzer, an engineer, enthusiastic scientist, and consultant in the field.

The survey by VELUX clearly indicates that Europeans are very well aware of how important fresh air alongside adequate daylight is for health and mental well-being. Moreover, it appears that the residents of Europe are willing and ready to engage in improving their housing and investing in it. Thus, VELUX can confidently continue its journey towards sustainable housing across Europe. Another innovative and interesting project the company is currently embarking on is RenovActive – a proposal for social housing solutions in Belgium.