Better indoor climate in apartment blocks

In a collaborative project between the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, the Norwegian Directorate of Health, Anticimex and SINTEF Byggforsk, more than 10,000 owner-occupied homes across the country were scrutinised.

In 3 out of 10 homes, the researchers found moisture damage that was recommended to be repaired.

Why is indoor climate important?

People spend 90% hours of the day indoors
More people are working from home and children are spending more time inside using screens, playing and gaming
Indoor air pollution can be up to 100 times higher than outdoors and can be harmful to health
Norway leads the world in the development of asthma and allergy complaints, respiratory diseases and lung cancer

Poor indoor climate

For residents:

Contributes to poorer quality of life
Contributes to feeling more lethargic, tired and unrested
Makes people sick and increases the likelihood of ailments such as:
- Respiratory tract infections
- Asthma and allergies
- Dry and irritated skin
- Headache
- Difficulty concentrating

For the home:

Provides good growth conditions for mould and fungi in the home, which in turn worsens the indoor climate and reduces the value of the home
Can be the result of:
- That the home is too tight and does not breathe and does not allow moisture to escape
- High radon levels or other chemicals

A healthy and good indoor climate

For residents:

Improves comfort and helps you function optimally in everyday life
Helps reduce respiratory diseases and other health problems
Reduces complaints such as headaches, lethargy and eye irritation
Means that the indoor air is filtered and the amount of harmful particles from the outdoor air is reduced

For the home:

Means your home breathes and stays healthy
Increases the value of your home
Means that the property does not have elevated radon levels

How do you know if your home has a good indoor climate?

Homes with poor indoor climate behave in different ways. In the most obvious cases of poor ventilation, you will clearly feel trapped air, bad odours and moisture.

But often you don't notice the symptoms right away. You may often get a headache or feel tired.

Other signs that your home is not breathing properly are if the dew on the bathroom mirror does not disappear within a short time or if there is condensation on the inside of the windows.

Ventilation

Ventilation is the lungs of the home and ensures that both the home and the occupant breathe and stay fresh. Contaminated air is drawn out of the home and new, fresh, filtered air is drawn into the home. Good ventilation contributes to a good indoor climate and improves the quality of life for those living in the home.

Our general recommendation is that all air should be replaced every two hours, or 1.2 m³/h/m² which are minimum requirements in TEK 17.
To fulfil these requirements, balanced ventilation is the best solution. With heat recovery, up to 85% of the heat in your home will also be recovered, saving you heating costs.

Three different ventilation methods

Natural ventilation

This is the oldest form of ventilation and was common in homes built before the 1970s.

The system is based on hot and humid air being drawn up over the ceiling via ducts from bathrooms and wet rooms using natural driving forces.

Air is drawn in through vents in the wall and/or windows. No heat recovery or possibility to customise ventilation as needed. Cold draught from vents during the cold season.

Mechanical exhaust ventilation

A common solution in homes built in the 1970s and is still a widespread ventilation solution.

This ventilation system provides replacement of the air, but results in energy loss as it has no form of heat recovery. Cold draught from vents in the cold season.

Balanced ventilation

This is the most optimal method of ventilation and ensures a good indoor climate in all rooms.

Balanced ventilation extracts used and polluted air from bathrooms, kitchens, toilets and wet rooms and supplies clean, filtered and tempered air to living areas such as living rooms and bedrooms.

The heat in the air extracted from the home is transferred, with the help of a heat recuperator, to the air that is filtered and blown into the home. Up to 85% of the heat in the ventilation air is recovered, saving you money on heating costs.

Disadvantages of natural ventilation and mechanical exhaust ventilation

Increases the chance of indoor climate problems such as moisture damage due to damp and polluted indoor air.
Outdoor pollutants are drawn in.
Creates cold draughts through wall and window vents, the vents are often closed to avoid cold draughts and result in poor ventilation. Increases the risk of high radon content in indoor air.
Energy wastage and "heating for the crow" by drawing warm indoor air straight out of the home during the cold season.
An old-fashioned ventilation solution that prevents a good energy classification of the property at the time of valuation and resale, and which is not an environmentally sustainable solution.

Advantages of balanced ventilation with heat recovery

Reduces the chance of indoor climate problems and provides a pleasant and comfortable indoor climate.
Filters outdoor air and removes moist and polluted indoor air.
Reduces the radon content in indoor air.
Reduces the risk of health problems.
The 85% recovers heat from the indoor air.
A modern and forward-looking solution that preserves the value of the property and uses as little energy as possible.
An important solution for achieving the highest possible energy classification and value of the property when selling.
User-friendly and automatically controlled.

The challenge of ventilation in housing cooperatives

Many housing associations built before the 1980s usually have natural ventilation or mechanical exhaust ventilation.

Common challenges:

Adjustment - the ventilation in the home is not working as it should.
Cold draught from open valves.
Bad air - congested and heavy air.
Odours resulting from setbacks and imbalances between neighbouring apartments and between floors.

Renovation of housing cooperatives

Major upgrading projects involving insulation, replacement of windows, sealing and facade changes aim to save energy.
Balanced ventilation with heat recovery is often overlooked. This results in a poor indoor climate and a waste of energy.

It is often much more expensive to rectify this afterwards than if you consider and plan good solutions for ventilation early in the renovation project.

Consequences if you do not have balanced ventilation in your home:

Poor indoor climate and harmful to health.
Harmful to the home with moisture and mould.
Reduces the value of the property.
You're wasting energy.

Example of energy savings by switching from mechanical to balanced ventilation:

Installations

We customise the installation for each individual resident and try to take into account their wishes and preferences when it comes to the location of the unit, ductwork and inlet/outlet.

There are different ways to customise the installation:

The unit can be placed in storage rooms, laundry rooms, kitchens, hallways or ceilings.
Lower ceilings to conceal ducts and any units.
Boxing in ducts and installing downlights.