Model Home 2020 – full-year measurements of daylight, energy and indoor climate in five single-family houses occupied by typical families: what has been learned

This paper describes Post Occupancy Evaluation survey and physical measurements of five families living for one year or longer in five houses located in Germany, Austria, France and UK, all part of the Model Home 2020 project. The houses are built according to Active House principles and focus on high performance on indoor environmental quality, energy performance and environmental impact. The survey is carried out seasonally during the test year when the family lives in the house to capture seasonal variations. Physical measurements were made in all main rooms of the houses. The houses have high daylight levels, which is highly appreciated by the families. High daylight levels increase the risk of overheating, but this has been avoided by design and control as the families do not report overheating, and as the houses in general achieve category 1 for the summer situation according to the Active House specification. The families also indicate high satisfaction with the general indoor environment and the indoor air quality, better health, fewer sick days and improved sleep quality that their expectations often are fulfilled, and that house automation is acceptable. The physical measurements support the importance of building automation in order to achieve good performance.