ventilation

The 30th issue of the TightVent newsletter is now available!

Specific contents include: Foreword | Registration Open: 2026 AIVC – TightVent – venticool Conference in Incheon, South Korea | EN 16798-17 Revision to Introduce Mandatory Measurements for Ventilation Inspection

The Eurovent report ‘Ventilation systems in new and renovated residential buildings in support of the recast EPBD goals’ examines the role of ventilation systems in implementing the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive  (EPBD), highlighting their dual contribution to energy efficiency and indoor air quality in both new and refurbished residential buildings

The qualification of airtightness testers plays a key role in ensuring the reliability, consistency, and credibility of building airtightness measurements, which are essential for energy performance assessment, indoor environmental quality, and compliance with building regulations. Over the past decades, several … Continue reading →

Poor indoor air quality is a common and preventable public health risk that contributes to chronic disease, infectious disease transmission, and economic losses. Europe’s updated Energy Performance of Buildings Directive integrates indoor environmental quality into building policy for the first time, representing a major opportunity for Europe to protect the health of building occupants and set an example for the world. With a May 2026 deadline approaching, EU Member States should adopt a health-based framework for indoor air quality and aim to harmonize standards across Europe.

PROGRESS BUT INSUFFICIENT AND UNEVEN  The EU BCT shows a marked acceleration of building decarbonisation in recent years. After the index fell to –0.5 points in 2021, it increased sharply to 11.9 points in 2022 and further to 19.2 points in 2023, representing the strongest consecutive improvements since the start of the tracker. However, part of this progress […]

IEA EBC Annex 97, Sustainable Cooling in Cities, held a policy seminar in Madrid on 22 April 2026, titled “Policy in Practice: The Spanish Urban Perspective on Sustainable Cooling.” The event brought together international Annex experts, Spanish policymakers, city representatives, … Continue reading →

In this Expert Talk, Professor Olesen reflects on the evolution of thermal comfort, questioning the adequacy of traditional steady-state models in capturing real occupant experiences in today’s dynamic environments. He also addresses the persistent gap between established standards and the actual performance of buildings in practice, highlighting where current approaches may fall short. The discussion further explores the growing importance of integrating indoor environmental quality within the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) framework and what is needed to translate policy into tangible improvements. Finally, he shares his perspective on the priorities that should shape future standards, particularly in balancing energy efficiency, occupant wellbeing, and performance in the face of climate change.

Europe’s overlapping crises — from energy insecurity and climate change to unaffordable housing and eroding democratic trust — share a common thread: the quality of the buildings and neighbourhoods where people live. Drawing on five years of real-world experience across the oPEN Lab Living Labs in Genk (Belgium), Pamplona (Spain) and Tartu (Estonia), the roadmap demonstrates that the neighbourhood scale is uniquely suited to integrate deep renovation, […]