Research

Questionnaire survey on factors influencing comfort with indoor environmental quality in Danish housing

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Abstract

A questionnaire survey in Danish homes investigated the factors that influence occupants’ comfort. The questionnaire contained questions on inhabitants’ behaviour, their knowledge as regards building systems designed for controlling the indoor environment and the ways in which they achieve comfort. A total of 2499 questionnaires were sent to inhabitants of the most common types of housing in Denmark; 645 persons replied (response rate of 26%). The results show that the main indoor environmental parameters (visual, acoustic and thermal conditions, and air quality) are considered by occupants to be the most important parameters determining comfort. Manual control of the indoor environment was indicated by the respondents as highly preferred, and only in the case of temperature did they accept both manual and automatic control. The respondents indicated that they were confident about how the systems for controlling indoor environmental quality in their homes should be used. 54% of them reported to have had at least one problem related to the indoor environment at home. A majority of those respondents did not try to search for information on how to solve the problem. This may suggest that there is a need for increasing people’s awareness regarding the consequences of a poor indoor environment on their health and for improving people’s knowledge on how to ensure a good indoor climate.