Analysis of Potential Impacts of Policy Options for Inspections of Stand-alone Ventilation Systems in EU Dwellings

Various field studies have shown that in a vast majority of European countries the quality of installed residential ventilation systems is poor, with a large proportion of systems having significantly lower installed flow rates than the required values, or having poor energy performance due to flaws in design, installation or operation. This paper analyses the potential impact of different policy options for an EU-level approach for inspection of stand-alone ventilation systems in residential buildings until 2050. The analysis accounts for different scenarios based on the evolution of the EU dwelling stock, the evolution of the market share of ventilation systems in buildings, and the impact of policy options for inspection on the ventilation related energy use and indoor air quality in dwellings equipped with various types of ventilation systems. This analysis is part of a technical study contracted by the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission to a consortium formed by INIVE and BPIE, whose aim was to provide technical support on the possibilities and timeline for introducing inspection of stand-alone ventilation systems in buildings, linked to Article 19a of Directive 2018/844, which requires that the Commission must carry out a feasibility study on this topic. The paper discusses the methodology and results of the impact analysis calculations. The calculations of ventilation related energy indicators and carbon emissions are based on the principles of the ecodesign SEC-calculation method (Directive 2009/125/EC). The IAQ-indicator is based on the assessment of a generic pollutant dose taking account of the effective flow rates and exposure times in the different types of ventilation systems. The results show that inspection options contribute to a smaller or larger extent to a better indoor air quality, at the same time increasing the ventilation related energy use. It is not evident to rank the various policy options in terms of preferences: they could be implemented consecutively, by looking at societal support in case of a mandatory implementation.