An updated white paper says that insulation and energy efficiency improvements must be backed with the enforcement of stronger ventilation standards
A white paper from industry body BEAMA is calling for any national focus on building insulation improvements to also include an uplift in ventilation standards to address air quality issues.
BEAMA said its updated white paper called on authorities to take a ‘ventilate when you insulate’ approach when retrofitting buildings. This would help to prevent the possibility of pollutants and contaminants such as viruses being sealed in insulated homes and buildings, the association added.
The document stated that any ventilation work as part of this focus should also ensure systems are installed and commissioned to the highest standards.
The amended white paper is called Better Ventilation, Better Homes, Better Health. It focuses on the need for effective ventilation to address the health and wellbeing impacts of poor indoor air quality and sets out several main recommendations.
These include ensuring higher ventilation standards are introduced in all new build projects as a means to improve occupant health and wellbeing.
BEAMA said it is also calling on authorities to ensure that poor levels of air quality and the issues of low ventilation rates are treated as a public health emergency that is enshrined across all government policy. This should be backed by public awareness campaigns, according to the trade body.
The third recommendation of BEAMA’s white paper is to ensure widescale industry compliance with best available standards.
This includes calls to ensure that ventilation systems are installed or commissioned by registered competent engineers or signed off by building control specialists.
Enforcement mechanisms should also be implemented to ensure the HVAC industry is complying with related specifications such as PAS 2035 that focuses on energy efficiency in retrofit properties.
BEAMA has also called for full implementation of new Building Regulations that would require completed ventilation commissioning sheets to be part of documentation provided as part of a project.
All the recommendations are backed by BEAMA as examples of more concrete action that can be taken at an industry and government level to mitigate the risks of poor indoor air quality. It said that the white paper’s calls are also in line with broad commitments in the recently published Heat and Buildings Strategy.
‘Ventilate to insulate’
Colin Timmins, director of the BEAMA Ventilation Group, said that white paper provided guidance on the best steps forward to prevent a substandard quality of ventilation, particularly as net zero pledges attempt to insulate and make buildings more airtight to improve efficiency.
He said, “Our message to policymakers is simple, a ‘ventilate when you Insulate’ approach must be adopted, and poor-quality installations and compliance must be tackled, to ensure indoor air quality and health are safeguarded.
“By adopting and implementing the 4 policy solutions set out in this white paper, the government can achieve this and deliver healthy homes that are fit for the future.”
Keith Ritchie, Chair of the BEAMA Ventilation Group, added that the 2022 revisions of the organisation’s white paper called for immediate action by UK authorities to introduce effective ventilation and improve average indoor air quality in properties.
He said, “While progress on ventilation and indoor air quality has been made over the last 4 years, much more still needs to be done to integrate, regulate and improve ventilation standards.”
[ad_2]
Originally Appeared Here