Applicability and sensitivity of the TAIL rating scheme using data from the French national school survey

The TAIL rating scheme for assessing the quality of Thermal, Acoustic, Indoor air, Luminous, and the overall environment was initially developed to assess indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in hotels and offices. To broaden the use of the TAIL rating scheme to other buildings, its applicability for schools was studied. Two additional parameters, i.e., reverberation time and nitrogen dioxide concentration, were included to account for the specificities of the building use and population. The TAIL rating scheme for schools was applied to the data collected through a national survey performed in France in 602 classrooms between 2013 and 2017 to examine the scheme’s feasibility and sensitivity. The results show that using the scheme makes it possible to discriminate IEQ conditions in schools and helps identify problems that may lead to health risks or discomfort, such as insufficient ventilation or overheating during winter. It is concluded that the TAIL rating scheme adapted to schools allows tangible assessment of classroom IEQ and identification of problems requiring improvement, thus promoting a better school environment that eventually will support the proper development of children.