Building retrofit programmes to improve energy efficiency must also have appropriate ventilation to provide healthier, safer indoor environments, according to a new report published today by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC).
The UK has set ambitious legal targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving net zero by 2050. With the heating and cooling of buildings contributing 17% to national emissions, (1) retrofit schemes are a critical step towards the UK achieving net-zero by 2050, to mitigate the threats of climate change. As 80% of our existing buildings will still be in use by 2050, making them energy efficient is a key part of any net zero plan.
The NEPC’s report proposes solutions to ensure that retrofitting buildings creates healthier environments, avoiding issues with mould and indoor air pollutants. Poorly planned and executed retrofits in homes and public buildings like schools and hospitals can reduce air quality and natural light, and increase noise pollution, damp, mould and overheating.
Indoor air quality has a significant impact on health and wellbeing, with disadvantaged groups facing higher risks. Damp and mould in homes is a long-running problem, with estimates of around two million people in England living in dwellings with these issues, which are associated with the development or exacerbation of several respiratory diseases. (2)
Retrofit schemes that take both insulation and ventilation into account should help families lower energy costs and improve indoor air quality, creating healthier, safer more sustainable living spaces. These measures will also support economic productivity and prevent illnesses connected with poor indoor environments, putting less pressure on the NHS and health resources. (3)
Led by the Royal Academy of Engineering, CIBSE and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, this is the final report (4) in a major programme of work by the NEPC on infection resilient environments.
Today’s report makes five key recommendations to help embed health outcomes in building retrofit programmes; enable specialist training for retrofit professionals and trial digital records for building performance and maintenance.
Recommendations:
- Health-Based Outcomes: Embed health outcomes in retrofit programmes, supported by public information campaigns.
- Public Buildings Assessment: Large-scale assessment of health risks in public buildings to inform retrofit delivery.
- Digital Passports for Buildings: Trial digital records for building performance and maintenance to support long-term management.
- Training and Skills Development: Incorporate health into training for retrofit professionals.
- Research and Development: Address knowledge gaps on long-term health impacts of indoor environments and integrate findings into policy and practice.
An opportunity ‘to improve the nation's health’
Retrofit schemes deliver many benefits, through the process of upgrading buildings. This includes:
- Structural change: installing insulation, upgrading windows, improving airtightness to reduce heat loss and energy demand, and provision of appropriate ventilation
- Changes to building services: such as switching to low-carbon heating
- Monitoring and control tools: installation of monitoring and control tools for energy use to empower users to adapt user-behaviour
Strategies should consider a whole building approach, rather than just focussing on one area. The report outlines how to retrofit buildings with a holistic approach, to ensure that negative outcomes of retrofit are avoided. Insulation and airtightness, which are essential for energy efficiency, must be balanced with ventilation to avoid moisture, mould and pollutant build-up. This will require a clear definition and targets for expected health-based outcomes, as well as cooperation between policymakers, industry, and building operators.
Professor Peter Guthrie OBE FREng, Chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Infection Resilient Environments Working Group, says:
“There are many ways to improve the nation's health and improving homes is a key one. Setting out clear definitions and targets of what healthy homes and buildings look and feel like, sets out a roadmap to get us to that destination. Finally, training in the art and science of healthy homes, by building professionals who do this work, will be fundamental to the long-term success of retrofit schemes.”
Dr Shaun Fitzgerald OBE FREng, University of Cambridge, says:
“I feel strongly about the importance of improved health with retrofit schemes. We spend most of our time indoors. We need to turn the challenges we have with indoor environments into opportunities for society such as improved health, lower energy bills, reduced stress on the health service, greater productivity, and lower emissions.”
Professor Catherine Noakes OBE FREng FIMechE, FIHEEM, University of Leeds, says:
“The buildings we are talking about are not only homes, but schools, hospitals, care homes, workplaces and social spaces. Indoor environments have even more impact when you are considering vulnerable inhabitants, who may not have robust immune systems, like children and the elderly. We need to improve the standards we have around indoor air quality and then monitor and meet those standards, otherwise we risk locking in inadequate indoor air quality for future generations.”
Notes for editors
- CCC (2020), The Sixth Carbon Budget: Buildings
- In England, there are around 2 million people currently living in homes with significant damp and/or mould (3-4% of residences). While living in a damp and/or mouldy home is associated with the development or exacerbation of several respiratory diseases, conditions and symptoms, little is known about the burden of disease at a national scale in England. https://research.ukhsa.gov.uk/our-research/damp-and-mould/
- ONS (2022), Sickness absence in the UK labour market. Figure 3: “Respiratory conditions” …[are] the fourth most common reason for sickness absence in 2022
- In March 2020, the Royal Academy of Engineering and its partners in the National Engineering Policy Centre(NEPC) were commissioned by the Government Chief Scientific Adviser to identify the interventions needed in the UK’s built environment and transport systems to reduce infection transmission. In partnership with CIBSE, the Academy undertook an extensive programme of work on infection resilient environments. The programme set out to understand how to overcome the barriers to infection resilience. For more information and reports on phases 1 and 2 of the programme see Infection resilient environments. The NEPC Infection Resilient Environments Working Group is made up of the following experts:
- Chair: Professor Peter Guthrie OBE FREng
- Edith Blennerhassett, Director, Arup
- Dr Hywel Davies CChem CSci, Independent advisor
- Dr Shaun Fitzgerald OBE FREng, University of Cambridge
- Colin Goodwin CEng FCIBSE, Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers
- Professor Catherine Noakes OBE FREng FIMechE FIHEEM, University of Leeds
5. The National Engineering Policy Centre brings engineering thinking to the heart of policymaking, creating positive impacts for society. We are a partnership of 42 professional engineering organisations that cover the breadth and depth of our profession, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering. Together we provide insights, advice, and practical policy recommendations on complex national and global challenges.