Building policies are increasingly demanding in terms of energy performance and reduction of CO2 emissions. At the same time, people spending 60-90% of their life in indoor environments (homes, offices, schools, etc.), indoor air quality is essential in ensuring health, quality of life and performance of buildings’ occupants.

This report defines how the aspect of indoor climate could be reflected in the implementation of the European regulatory framework on the energy performance of buildings and puts the spotlight on the Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) parameters to be considered by policy-makers as well as the indicators used for the indoor environment evaluation.

While the recently revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD 2018/844) includes elements of health, comfort, indoor air quality and indoor climate conditions, it falls short on information related to the achievement of satisfactory IEQ. In addition, significant variation in IEQ requirements exists at national level.

Despite substantial gaps in the existing European building regulations, the real opportunity lies at national level; it is therefore necessary to develop approaches for the integration of IEQ in national policy frameworks. To achieve this, BPIE identified there four areas of opportunity: long-term renovation strategies, Energy Performance Certificates, smart-readiness indicator and compliance and quality control measures.