Working towards energy-efficient European standards for indoor air quality
European experts on ventilation, meeting in Dusseldorf, Germany, on 9 June 1995, gave strong support to European work on the development of energy-efficient standards for indoor air quality. The meeting was organized by the VDI-Society for Building Services (VDI-TGA), on behalf of the Federation of European heating and air-conditioning associations (REHVA) and the European Commission's THERMIE programme, following the rejection of a draft European standard for indoor air quality prepared by a CEN (European Normalization Committee) working group. The aim of the meeting was to develop greater consensus in this area and to address the concern of some that insufficient information is yet available on which to base a definitive standard. The CEN draft standard proposes new design criteria for ventilation systems and a step-by-step method for determination of design criteria for particular buildings. It also introduces several relatively new concepts including sensory pollution load, perceived air quality and ventilation effectiveness. CEN's proposal to publish this document as a CEN report was welcomed as a means of allowing experience to be gained with the application of these new concepts in building design while further research is undertaken. Moreover, REHVA, will be encouraging the members of its constituent societies throughout Europe (including consulting engineers and others responsible for the design, manufacture and installation of ventilation and air conditioning, as well as heating installations and other equipment for buildings) to apply the design principles proposed by CEN to a wide range of buildings over the next two years. In this context, the REHVA Board will seek to cooperate with Community's THERMIE programme to ensure that progress is achieved as fast as possible.