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The Healthy Homes Barometer is accompanied academically by
Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Bernd Wegener, Humboldt University Berlin
An annual study of European citizens’ attitudes and behaviour regarding
home comfort, energy consumption and environmental impact
European Survey by the VELUX Group
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Healthy Homes
Barometer
2015
3
Foreword
Welcome to the
Healthy Homes Barometer
2015
There are things we know, and things we do not
know.
Today, we are certain that our homes have a huge
impact on our health and wellbeing. We live 90 %
of our lives inside buildings. Yet, an estimated 80
million Europeans live in homes that suer from
damp, which almost doubles the risk of developing
asthma . Indoor air quality is a major health concern
for Europe.
We are equally cer tain that our homes have a
huge impact on the future of our planet. Energy
used in buildings accounts for 40 % of the total
energy consumption by society. Better construc-
tion of buildings in the EU would influence the use
of half of all ex tracted materials , and could help us
save up to one-third of all water for consumption.
However, we are less cer tain when it comes to
the behaviour and thinking of those actually living
their lives inside the buildings, aecting the indoor
climate and energy use through their actions,
choosing how to – or how not to – improve their
homes and what to demand when moving into or
building new homes: the European citizens.
Do Europeans think of their homes as a key to
being healthy? Do they act according to their be-
liefs? Do they know what to expec t from a healthy
home? Can society expect them to demand more
energy ecient and environmentally friendly
buildings?
Filling the knowledge gap
Our ambition is to fill this knowledge gap with
the Healthy Homes Barometer. We have exam-
ined whether European citizens support what ex-
perts have long called the buildings of the future:
Homes that create healthier and more comfort-
able lives for their occupants without impacting
negatively on the climate and the environment;
homes that move us towards a cleaner, healthier
and safer world.
This year’s barometer shows that Europeans con-
sider that their homes are of huge importance to
their health and wellbeing. However, in general
Europeans are far too optimistic when it comes
to the actual state of their home indoor climate,
thinking that everything is good. They are also far
too reluctant to behave according to their beliefs
and let in fresh air and daylight.
We can already expect Europeans to demand
healthy and energy ecient building solutions today
and, if awareness is raised, even more tomorrow.
This is a clear message from the Healthy Homes
Barometer 2015, which should inspire ever ybody
concerned with the quality of modern lives indoors,
politicians as well as the building industry.
Europeans do not want homes that simply per-
form well on energy. They want homes that per-
form well on energy while also providing com-
fortable surroundings in a healthy life. They want
healthy homes.
I sincerely hope that the He althy Homes Barometer
will spark a transition, not only in the way buildings
are built, but also in the way we think and commu-
nicate about our homes and the role they play in
modern lives, cities and society at large.
Michael K. Rasmussen
Chief Marketing Ocer of the VELUX Group
4
About the Healthy Homes Barometer
The Healthy Homes Barometer is an analysis presentin g
key findings f rom a pan- European study inves tigating
European citizens’ attitudes and behaviour regarding
home comfort, energy consumption and environmental
impact.
Barometer methodology
During October 2014 a questionnaire was answe red by
12,000 European s in Austria , Belgium, Czech Republic,
Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Nether-
lands, Norway, Poland and the UK. The questionnaire
and analysis were carried out by independent consultan-
cies, Operate A/S and Wilke.
We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Ber nd Wegener,
Humboldt University, Berlin for his continuous expert ad-
vice and support in the realization of the Healthy Homes
Barometer.
The number of respondents from each country was
set to ensu re statis tical representation. This h as been
achieved.
The twelve c ountries surveyed represent more than 375
million Europeans, accountin g for more tha n 70 % of the
total European population1. Furthermore, the selec ted
countries represent a variety of sizes and geographic
locatio ns. When co ncluding on a pan-Eur opean level,
responses have been weighted acc ording to a sp ecific
countr y’s share of the population of the twelve Euro-
pean countries sur veyed as a whole. For examp le: Since
the Germ an populati on is 21 % of the total population
of the twelve E uropean countries surveyed, response s
from Ger many account for a similar p ercentage of the
pan-European total.
How to read the baromet er indicators
The baro meter mea sures sco res for nine indicator s,
each addressing a key aspect of European citize ns’ at-
titudes and behaviour related to their life at hom e in
terms of comfort, energy consumption and environ-
mental impact.
The indic ators are :
1
What does h ealthy livin g
mean to Europeans?
2
How concerned are Europeans
about an unhealthy ho me?
3
Who are responsible for
ensuring healthy buildings?
4
How impor tant is daylight at
home to Europeans?
5
How impor tant is indoor air
quality to Europeans?
6
How do Europeans experience
the qualit y of their sleep?
7
Do Europeans link indoor
climate to health?
8
How important are home energy
costs to Europeans?
9
How important is the environmental
impact of t he home to Europeans?
When translating res ponses into index numbers, re -
sponse s have been given n umbers from 1 to 7, where 7
is the highest score , e.g. “Ver y important”, and 1 is the
lowest score, e.g. “ Not impor tant”. A score above 4 is a
score above aver age.
Once a year, cha nges in these in dicators will b e measured
and repo rted in a Healthy Ho mes Barometer p ublication.
Focus on comfort, energy, and the environment
The home has a huge impact on human h ealth and well-
being, society’s energy consumption and sustaina ble de-
velopment in terms of material use and reuse.
The barometer’s underlying thesis is derived from the
Active House Vision as formulated by the Active House
Alliance2. In this understanding, a healthy hom e is a
home which has as little environm ental impact as possi-
ble and is as energy ecient as pos sible, while providing
healthy and comfortable surroundings for its occupants.
Along these lines , the barometer fo cuses on the three d i-
mension s of the Active House Principles when re porting
on European citizens’ attitudes and behaviour towards
healthy homes: Comfort, Energy and Environment:
•
Indicat or 4 gives an indication of European citizens’ atti-
tudes and behaviour towards energy eciency at home.
• In dicators 5-8 give indications of European citizens’
attitudes and behaviour towards comfort at home,
including easy acce ss to plent y of daylight an d fresh
air, making it possible to sleep well.
• Indicator 9 give s an indicat ion of European citizens ’
attitudes and behaviour towards the home’s environ-
mental footprint.
1
Europe is defined as t he 28 Member State s of the EU plus N orway and Swit zerland.
2
Activehouse.info
5
Contents
Energy costs are a concern
– and cause for action
Indicator 8 How important are home energy costs to Europeans? _________ 19
19
Environmental impact has low
interest and is hard to act upon
Indicator 9 How important is the environmental
impact of the home to Europeans? _____________________________ 21
21
Home improvement
– a favourite European pastime 23
The nine indicators 24
Europeans:
Comfort is king
Indicator 4 How important is daylight to Europeans? ______________________ 16
Indicator 5 How important is indoor air quality to Europeans? ____________ 16
Indicator 6 How do Europeans experience the quality of their sleep? _______17
Indicator 7 Do Europeans link indoor climate to health? _____________________ 17
15
About the
Healthy Homes Barometer 4
Five key findings in the
Healthy Homes Barometer 2015
1 Europeans desire healthy homes ___________________________________________6
2 Europeans need fresh air and daylight to feel at home ____________________7
3 Having healthy homes is an underestimated
and unacknowledged public health factor _________________________________8
4 There is little coherence between concern and action _____________________8
5 Europeans are willing to act – if it pays o ________________________________9
6
The home is a key health driver,
according to Europeans
Indicator 1 What does healthy living mean to Europeans? _________________ 12
Indicator 2 How concerned are Europeans about an unhealthy home? _____13
Indicator 3 Who are responsible for ensuring healthy homes? ______________13
11
6
Summary
1
People take more than 20,000 breaths a day
3
, and
we live an estimated 90 % of our lives indoors
4
.
Good daylight conditions improve health, wellbeing
and performance
5
in general, and children’s learn-
ing abilities rise by up to 15 % if they are in a good
indoor climate
6
. Thus, living a healthy life is closely
related to living in a healthy indoor environment.
A number of scientific studies point out that a
healthy and comfortable indoor environment is
one which is ventilated, and that lets in daylight.
Science and citizens agree. The Healthy Homes
Barometer 2015 reveals one noteworthy fact,
Europeans link healthy living very closely to the
home arena.
Sleeping well at night is the most important
health factor according to Europeans. More sur-
prisingly, Europeans consider fresh air and day-
light even more important to their health than
avoiding tobacco or avoiding chemicals from
consumer products in the home. Europeans even
put greater emphasis on fresh air indoors than on
eating plenty of fruit and vegetables.
Obviously, ventilating to let in fresh air may score
high because it is a behaviour with multiple bene-
fits: It increases comfort while making the indoor
climate healthier by letting out particles from to-
bacco or consumer products.
However, the most likely explanation for Europe-
ans’ great emphasis on the importance of fresh
air and daylight is that these two factors are
closely linked to creating a comfortable home en-
vironment, which the barometer clearly indicates
is important to Europeans. Furthermore, being
comfortable is an absolute necessity for sleeping
well at night.
Five key findings in the
Healthy Homes Barometer
2015
The Healthy Homes Barometer 2015 consists of nine indicators
providing insights into the state of the indoor climate, behaviour
and attitudes towards healthy homes in 12 European countries.
Across these nine indicators, five key findings stand out.
Europeans desire healthy homes
Read more on page 11
How many Europeans give the
highest importance to both fresh
air and daylight when asked what
is important to their health?
61 %
Next to or highest
importance to both
35 %
Highest importance
to both
3
American Lung Association: www.lung.org/your-lungs/.
4
NEST project, Technical University of Berlin, European Commission 2004
.
.
5
L. Heschong: ”Daylighting and Human Performance”, ASHRAE
Journa l, vol. 44, no . 6, pp. 65-67, 2002.
6
“Indoor Environment and Learning in Schools”, International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy (ICIEE), Technical University of Denmark, 2013.
Summary
7
2While Europeans in general consider that the
home arena is an important enabler to a healthy
life, there is less understanding about why the
home arena is so important.
The barometer shows that Europeans make no
strong link between daylight and fresh air on the
one hand, and health issues such as illness, fatigue,
asthma and allergies on the other.
Even though science shows that lack of fresh air
increases the risk of developing allergies by 42 %7,
and that lack of daylight indoors hampers chil-
dren’s learning abilities, these are not the main
reasons why Europeans consider fresh air and
daylight in their homes important. Instead fresh
air and daylight is connected to “feeling at home”,
feeling fit and comfortable.
This suggests that Europeans strive to achieve a
healthy indoor environment because it intuitively
feels right, not necessarily because they know
how important it is to family health.
Europeans need fresh air
and daylight to feel at home
Read more on page 17
35 %
of Europeans rank both indoor
air quality and the amount
of daylight of the highest
importance if moving to
a new house
29 %
of European males
rank both indoor air
quality and the amoun
t
of daylight of the highest
importance if moving
to a new house
41 %
of European females
rank both indoor air
quality and the amount
of daylight of the highest
importance if moving
to a new house
7
Hägerh ed-Eng man, L. Bo rnehag, C. G., Sundell, J. : ”How valid are parents’ que stionnaire re sponses regar ding building
characteristics. Mouldy odour and signs of moisture problems in Swedish homes?”, Scandinavian Journal of Public
Health , p. 35 (2007).
Summary
8
3
4
Despite more than seven years of financial crisis
and high unemployment rates across Europe, liv-
ing in a building with unhealthy indoor air quality
is as serious to Europeans as losing their jobs, and
only of slightly less concern than being unable to
pay the mortgage/rent.
Having a high quality indoor climate is simply of
great concern to Europeans.
It should be. Recent studies show that 80 million
Europeans live in homes that are damp8. Damp
homes have an unhealthy indoor climate which
almost doubles
the risk of developing asthma9.
According to the
Global Initiative for Asthma, 30.7
million Europeans
had asthma in 200410.
However, despite the general concern, 65 % of
all Europeans dry clothes indoors at least once a
week, and only 28 % air out more than once a day
during winter, which is needed to obtain optimal
indoor air quality. Nevertheless, 78 % of all Eu-
ropeans express above average satisfaction with
the air quality in their current home.
Thus, there is a clear paradox between perception
and reality, and there is a knowledge gap that has
to be bridged. The European self-assessment is
far too optimistic.
Even more notewor thy is that Europeans living in
households with one or more persons suering from
asthma or allergies are only marginally more con-
cerned about living in a building with unhealthy indoor
air quality. In homes without asthma or allergies, 22 %
are very concerned about their indoor climate, while
37 % of Europeans living in households with four or
more persons suering from these diseases are very
concerned. What is mor e, surprisingly, living in a ho use-
hold with asthma and allergies does not make people
air out more frequently than others during winter.
Europeans are satisfied with their indoor climate be-
yond reason, and this satisfaction leads to inaction.
One explanation may be that there is a lack of know-
ledge about how much fresh air and daylight it is fair
to expec t and possible to have in ever yday life at home.
Since a numb er of scientific stu dies show that lack
of ventilation and daylight may ultimately lead to
illness and fatigue11, it is fair to say that there is an
untapped health potential in more societal debate
about the importance of healthy homes and how
to live a healthy life indoors.
Having healthy homes is an underestimated
and unacknowledged public health factor
While Europeans are very concerned about the in-
door climate in their homes, this concern only has a
very limited eect on behaviour.
All Europeans ventilate their homes. But homes are
ventilated much more during summer, when ven-
tilation prevents overheating, than during winter,
when wellbeing becomes a trade-o between fresh
air, temperature and energy costs. The drop in air-
ing out during the wintertime is substantial, even
in homes where the occupants are ver y concerned
with a healthy indoor climate.
These facts imply two things.
First, the right behaviour might not be directed
by a deep understanding of the actual benefits of
a healthy home. The primary motivation for airing
out may be the immediate feeling of wellbeing, not
a concern about health. This may also explain the
widespread practice of drying clothes indoors, as
this can take place in a remote part of the house
or behind closed doors, where the negative impact
on wellbeing is incorrectly believed to be eliminated.
The overall risk for developing asthma is approxi-
mately twice as high for people living in homes with
mould or damp, even if this is in a clothes-drying
area in the basement and far from the living room
11
.
Second, as long as the cognitive link between poor
indoor environment and illness, fatigue, asthma
and allergies etc. is weak, Europeans will only act
when cost s are low. As soon as it becomes dicult
or costly to obtain a good indoor environment, e.g.
during winter, behaviour changes.
Better indoor environment in European homes
depends on increased knowledge and awareness
about the importance of occupants’ behaviour and
solutions from the building industry and architects
to make it easy to ventilate and get daylight.
Read more on page 14
There is little coherence
between concern and action
8
Grün, G. & Urlaub, S.: “Towards an identification of European indoor environment’s impact on health and performance”, White Paper, (2014), Frauenhofer-Institut für Bauphysik.
9
Mendel l, M. J.,
Mirer, A. G., Cheung , K., Tong, M. D ouwes, J. : “Respir atory and a llergic he alth eec ts of dampn ess, mou ld and dampness-related agen ts: a review o f the epidem iologic evi dence.” Environment al
Health Pe rspective s, p. 119 (2011).
10
Global I nitiative for As thma, “Glob al Burden of As thma”, 2004.
11
E.g.: H ägerhed- Engman, L., B ornehag, C. G ., Sundell, J .: “How valid are p arents’ que stionnaire
respon ses regar ding buildi ng charac teristic s. Mouldy o dour and si gns of moist ure proble ms in Swedish ho mes?”, Scan dinavian Jo urnal of Public Health , p. 35 (2007). A nd: Foster, R. G .: “Bod y
Clocks , Light, Sleep an d Health”, Daylight & Ar chitect ure, p. 15 (sp ring 2011).
Read more on page 16
Summary
9
5Europeans take responsibility for making their
homes healthy. They look for daylight and fresh
air when relocating and they are even willing to
invest in making their homes healthy. Owners of
buildings expected to take primary responsibility
for ensuring that their buildings are healthy.
The personal responsibility of homeowners is limit-
ed to areas where taking action results in imme-
diate personal benefits such as reduced energy
costs and improved home comfort.
Energy used in buildings accounts for 40 % of the
total energy consumption by society12. In general
Europeans are not too impressed with the energy
costs of their current home, and they are willing
to invest in improving energy eciency and the
indoor climate, i.e. fresh air and daylight.
The home owners’ responsibility is a strong driv-
er in the transition towards healthy homes. But
there are limits.
One is legislation. While the EU Energy Perfor-
mance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, 2010/31/EU)
clearly st ates that minimum energy performance
requirements “shall take account of general in-
door climate conditions, in order to avoid possible
negative eects such as inadequate ventilation”13,
there is no clear requirement describing how this
can be achieved14. There is a clear legislative gap
in guidance for home owners and proper ty devel-
opers towards more healthy homes.
Another limit is clearly documented by the
Healthy Homes Barometer 2015: Despite the fact
that building materials have a huge environmen-
tal footprint, and that better construction and use
of buildings in the EU would influence more than
50 % of all extracted materials and could help us
save up to 30 % of current water consumption15,
environmental concerns are not top of mind when
Europeans renovate or move to a new house.
Homeowners have little, if any, incentive to de-
mand environmentally friendly buildings, since the
environmental impact from building materials is
decided when building materials are at the cradle
or at their end of life – two phases in building mat-
erials’ life cycle that most home owners do not
feel responsible for.
Read more on page 21
Europeans are willing to act
– if it pays o
12
”Energ y Perfor mance in Buil dings”, Inte rnational E nergy Agency (IEA), 2010 .
13
Article 4 of
the EPBD, 2 010/31/EU.
14
“Indoo r Air Qualit y, Thermal Comfort and Daylight in t he European
reside ntial buildings ”, Buildings Per formance Ins titute Europ e, 2015.
15
”Roadma p to a Resource
Ecient Europe”, European Commission, 2011.
Which countries see fresh
air and daylight as most
important for health?
Very
Important
Less
Important
41 %
Europeans who are very
concerned with their indoor
climate dry their clothes
indoors several times a
week or daily
Summary
10
Our intake
Europeans put how our bodies are
fueled in second place
.
# 3 Eating fruit and vegetables
# 6 Avoiding tobacco
# 9 Dietary supplements
Europeans have been asked how important nine
factor s are to their health. Wh en ranking accord -
ing to impor tance the order is:
# 1 Sleeping well at night
# 2 Ventilating my home
# 3 Eating fruit and vegetables
# 4 Daylight in my home
# 5 Spending time outdoors
# 6 Avoiding tobacco
# 7 Regular exercise
# 8 Avoiding chemicals
# 9 Dietary supplements
A healthy life
starts at home
The Home Arena
Three out of four factors clearly related to home
life are top-rated according to Europeans.
# 1 Sleeping well at night
# 2 Ventilating my home
# 4 Daylight in my home
# 8 Avoiding chemicals
Being active
Europeans find it important – but not
crucial – to their health to be active.
# 5
Spending time outdoors
# 7 Regular exercise
Health and the home arena
11
Health and the home arena
86%
of all Europeans attribute
plenty of daylight above
average importance
If we are to remain healthy,
we are deeply dependent on
the qualities oered by our
homes. Europeans rank the
home arena above exercise
and tobacco in terms of
importance for their health.
Avoid tobacco. Do some exercise. And eat plenty
of fruit and vegetables. Years of campaigning
have made Europeans keenly aware of these im-
portant guidelines to staying healthy.
Even though indoor air quality is a major health
concern for Europe16, the home arena has not en-
joyed anything that comes close to this level of
attention in public campaigning. Europeans nev-
ertheless attrib ute equal or greater imp ortance to
quality sleep, fresh air and daylight when asked
what they find important in order to stay healthy.
Fresh air and daylight are two key attributes of
the healthy home. They help prevent adverse
conditions like humidity, mould growth and con-
centration of unhealthy chemicals from consumer
products or the surroundings. They also contrib-
ute directly to the vital biological processes that
sustain us as human beings.
In fact, the home has even greater significance
due to its impact on those same biological pro-
cesses. According to Europeans, sleeping well
at night is the most important for their health
of the nine indicators sur veyed (see indicator I).
Among the factors that has a strong influence
on the quality of our sleep is controlling the light
in order to sleep in complete darkness and en-
joying a healthy indoor climate at night with
comfortable temperatures and good air quality.
The healthy home, in other words, directly con-
tributes to sleep quality.
The home is a key
health driver, according
to Europeans
16
Health & C onsumer Protec tion Directora te-Ge neral: “Opinion on ris k assessment on ind oor air quality”, 20 07.
Health and the home arena
12
Indicator 1: What does healthy
living mean to Europeans?
A healthy home is of primary importance for
healthy living in the eyes of Europeans.
51 % of Europeans assign the highest importance
to ventilating their home to let in fresh air. Specif-
ically, they assign the score 7 on a scale ranging
from 1 to 7. 90 % see it as being of above average
import ance by assigning either score 5, 6 or 7.
42 % of Europeans assign the highest importance
to having plenty of daylight in the home. 86 % see
it as being of above average importance.
In comparison, 88 % assign above average impor-
tance to eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, 76
% assign above average impor tance to avoiding
tobacco, and 76 % assign above average impor-
tance to exercising regularly.
Women play a larger role compared to men in
driving the focus on the healthy home. Fresh air
and daylight together with eating fruit and vege-
tables and – to a lesser extent – sleep constitute
a cluster where the gender dierence is largest.
Indicator 1
To which extent do you find the
following important for your health?
The home arena is of primary importance for
healthy living in the eyes of Europeans. Euro-
peans have been asked to s core nine he alth
factor s from 1 to 7, where 1 is “Not impor-
tant” and 7 is “Very im porta nt”. All facto rs
have a score above average (4). Thre e of the
four top dr ivers relate directly to t he home
arena: sleeping well , ventilating for fresh
air and plenty of daylight. All four factors
related to t he home arena have been given
the colou r red. Thre e are related to people’s
intake and are marked with the colour blue,
while two are related to being active have
been given the colour gr ey.
4.1
5.4
5.5
5.7
5.9
5.9
6.0
6.1
6.4
Eating the right dietary supplements
Avoiding chemicals in products in my home
Regular exercise
Avoiding tobacco
Spending time outdoors
Having plenty of daylight in my home
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables
Ventilating my home to let in fresh air regularly
Sleeping well at night
59 %
of all Europeans express
above average concern for
unhealthy indoor air quality
Health and the home arena
13
Indicator 3: Who are responsible
for ensuring healthy buildings?
Healthy buildings are seen first and foremost as
a private responsibility related to ownership and
role in the house construction value chain. 42 %
of Europeans assign owners the highest level of
responsibility.
Several assumptions can underlie this assess-
ment. First, that the idea of healthy buildings is
primarily understood in relation to the design,
construction and operation of the individual build -
ing rather than to overall social and political goals
and conceptions of the common good.
Ultimately, this may lead to a situation where only
issues managed by the occupant changing behav-
iour and/or immediate benefits – e.g. comfort im-
provements and energy renovation – are handled,
while issues that can only be addressed through
industry collaboration, legislation or structural
changes – e.g. reducing the environmental impact
of the entire building life cycle or ensuring that the
indoor climate is not only perceived as good, but is
in fact good – are left unaddressed.
The second assumption underlying the assess-
ment is that responsibility is not tied strongly to
occupancy as tenants are ranked significantly
lower. Interestingly, current owners and tenants
are fully aligned when it comes to assigning re-
sponsibility between the two groups.
Finally, there seems to be a way to go before the
possible dynamics are clear to Europeans in terms
of the role banks and mortgage institutions can
play. These are known to take a keen interest in
the quality of the homes they finance including
assessing home improvement projects before
deciding to extend credit. However, this wider in-
stitutional dynamic is not strongly appreciated by
Europeans.
This all points toward a health potential hidden
in ensuring healthy buildings and healthy home
behaviour regarding indoor air quality and access
to daylight. Unlocking this potential will require
political awareness as well as attention from the
building industry.
Indicator 2: How concerned are
Europeans about an unhealthy home?
Unhealthy indoor air quality is a concern for Eu-
ropeans. 24 % of Europeans are very concerned,
and 59 % have above average concern. They rank
this concern at the same level as financial and job
insecurity.
Seen in terms of the healthy home, it is just as
significant to note the top three concerns of the
Europeans: becoming ill, feeling stress or fatigue,
and one’s own children becoming ill. These are the
highest scorers of the seven options surveyed. All
of these can be undesirable side eects of living in
an unhealthy home17.
Banks and mortgage
institutions
Tenants
Legislators
Manufacturers of
building components
Construction companies
Architects
Owners
Property developers /
professional house builders
3.1
4.3
5.4
4.9
5.7
5.4
5.7
5.8
4.7
Europeans’ concern
about living with unhealthy
indoor air quality on a scale
from 1 to 7
Indicator 2
How concerned are Europeans about
an unhealthy home?
Unhealt hy indoor air q uality is a concern for
Europe ans. They rank th is concern below t heir
concer n for illness, stres s and fatigue but at
the same level as financial and job ins ecurity.
Indicator 3
Who of the following are responsi-
ble for ensuring that the buildings
we live in are healthy?
Healthy buildings are s een as a private
responsibility related to owner ship and
role in the h ouse constru ction value chain .
17
Mendell, M. J., Mire r, A . G., Cheung , K., Tong, M. D ouwes, J. : “Respira tory and allergi c health eect s of dampness, m ould and dam pness-relat ed agents : a review of the epidemiologic evi dence.”
Environ mental Healt h Perspective s, p. 119 (2011). An d: E.g.: Häger hed-Engma n, L., Born ehag, C. G., Su ndell, J.: “How v alid are parent s’ question naire respons es regarding b uilding charac teristics.
Mouldy o dour and sig ns of moistu re problems in Swedish hom es?”, Scan dinavian Jou rnal of Public Health, p . 35 (2007). A nd: Foster, R. G .: “Bod y Clocks, L ight, Sle ep and Heal th”, Daylight &
Archite cture, p. 15 (spr ing 2011).
Health and the home arena
14
All Europeans ventilate their homes significantly mo re during summer than
during winther, but there are huge dierencies between countries, with
Czechs being the ventilation champions of Europe. Figures show how many
air out several times a day in at least one room.
Which countries air out
their homes the most?
Austria
78 %
50 %
Belgium
56 %
21 %
Czech
Republic
88 %
51 %
The
Netherlands
Germany
Poland
Italy
France
Hungary
Denmark
United
KingdomNorway
41 %
50 %82 %
77 %
86 %
63 %
11 %
19 %27 %
46 %
32 %
60 %
19 %
19 %
84 %
42 %
71 %
29 %
Comfort at home
Winter
Summer
15
Europeans: Comfort is king
A good home is a comfortable
home. Comfort is at the top
of the list of what Europeans
look for in a new home. Better
comfort is the main reason for
making changes to the home.
What is more, a comfortable
home is also a healthy home.
What makes a good home? There are, unsurpris-
ingly, many answer s to this question. However,
the Healthy Homes Barometer 2015 gives a clear
indication that comfor t is at the top of the list.
Europeans value comfort the most when choos-
ing a new home. 53 % attribute it the highest
import ance. 95 % attribute it above average im-
portance.
Overall satisfaction with the current home also
seems to relate to comfor t.
Comfor t and health are closely related. Lack of
fresh air and daylight may cause illness and fatigue,
and these two health indicators – fresh air and
daylight – prove to be strong comfort indicators as
well. According to the Healthy Homes Barometer
2015, the more satisfied Europeans are with day-
light and fresh air in their home, the more they are
also satisfied with the comfort of their homes.
The four indicators below shed further light on
how Europeans view four of the basic tenets of
healthy, comfortable living in the home: Daylight,
fresh air, sleep and good health.
Overall, Europeans express high levels of satisfac-
tion with these indicators. However, this does not
mean there are no challenges. Since 80 million
Europeans live in homes that are unhealthy to live
in, it is more likely, that Europeans are unaware
of the problems they experience at home and the
comfort levels that are actually possible.
5.8
Environmental impact from building materials
Attractiveness
The view to the outside
Indoor air quality
Size
Amount of daylight
Functionality of the rooms
Energy costs
Comfort at home
6.0
6.0
6.0
6.1
6.2
6.2
6.3
5.4
Indicators 4+5
If you were to move into a new house,
how important would you consider…?
Comfort is the number one priority of the
nine fact ors surveyed. Daylight and fresh air
are middle scorers but at a high level. Envi-
ronmental impact is lowest.
Read about indicators 4 and 5 on nex t page.
Comfort at home
E
N
V
I
R
O
N
M
E
N
T
H
E
A
L
T
H
E
N
E
R
G
Y
Comfort at home
16
Optimal sleep
requires:
fresh air
thermal comfort
lack of noise
complete darkness
Indicator 4: How important is
daylight to Europeans?
Europeans value daylight in the home. If they were
to choose a new home, 47 % would give highest
import ance to the amount of daylight. 92 % would
give it above average importance, resulting
in an
indicator score of 6.1 out of 7. Daylight comes in
at fourth place after comfort, energy costs and
functionality, but ahead of size, outside view and
attractiveness.
Women attribute significantly higher importance
to the amount of daylight in a new home. 55 %
of women assign it the highest importance com-
pared to 39 % of men.
With greater age comes greater appreciation of
daylight in the home. 58 % of Europeans aged 60
to 65 assign it the highest importance, compared
to 36 % of the 18-to-29 year-olds.
Europeans also invest in improving daylight. More
than one in four Europeans – 27 % – have made
changes within the last five years aimed at im-
proving the amount of daylight in their home.
These improvement eorts do not arise from an
overall dissatisfaction with the amount of day-
light in the home. On the contrary, 31 % of Euro -
peans are fully satisfied, and more than 4 in 5 ex-
Indicator 5: How important is
indoor air quality to Europeans?
Indoor air quality is a major health concern for
Europe. Nevertheless, Europeans are satisfied
with the indoor air quality in their current home.
Satisfaction is in the upper regions of the scale,
with an average score of 5.4. They value indoor air
quality and would have it as a priority if moving
to a new house, and they invest in improving it. In
other words, they view indoor air quality in much
the same way as they do daylight.
If they were to choose a new home, 42 % would
give highest importance to the indoor air. 89 %
would give it above average import ance, result-
ing in an indicator score of 6. 28 % have made
changes within the last five years to improve in-
door air quality.
Women attribute more importance to indoor
air quality, but the gender gap is smaller com-
pared to the view on daylight. 47 % of women
assign it the highest importance compared to
37 % of men.
Higher age also means greater appreciation of
the impor tance of indoor air quality. 55 % of Eu-
ropeans aged 60 to 65 assign indoor air quality
the highest import ance, compared to 31 % of the
18 to 29 year olds.
However, room for improvement exists.
That Europeans do value good indoor air quality is
evidenced in their behaviour – to some extent. In
the summer, 68 % air out at least one room in their
home more than once a day, and another 22 % air
out once a day. Les s than 4 % air out less frequent-
ly than once a week. However, these figures drop
significantly in the wintertime. Only 28 % air out
more than once a day, and 48 % air out once a day.
Almost one quarter of all Europeans neglect the
daily change of the indoor air in the wintertime.
Also, drying clothes indoors is a bad habit that
Europeans apparently do not seem to be able to
shake o. 65 % of all Europeans dry clothes in-
doors a least once a week, even though the overall
risk for developing asthma is approximately twice
as high for people living in homes with mould or
damp. Only 1 3 % can boast never to fall prey to
this temptation.
Culture and climate both seem to influence be-
haviour to a very significant degree. Czechs,
Poles, Hungarians and Italians take the lead when
it comes to airing out several times a day in the
summer, with more than 80 % doing so, while half
of the people or less living in the UK and the Neth-
erlands do this.
press above average satisfaction with the amount
of daylight in their home. Of the nine drivers for
home satisfaction surveyed, the amount of day-
light is the top performer.
However, room for improvement does exist. The
average satisfaction score across countries is 5.6
out of 7, which leaves a gap between the very high
level of importance assigned and the current level
of satisfaction.
Furthermore, there are variations when it comes
to how much daylight at home is appreciated. It
is appreciated most in Hungary, Italy and Austria,
whereas daylight is attributed the lowest impor-
tance in Norway, Denmark and the UK.
Access to daylight at home is equally beneficial
to all human beings, no matter where they live,
so a likely explanation is that people value health
drivers that are easily accessible and that they
have become accustomed to. This would also be
a possible explanation for why the residents of
Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark have made
the least changes to improve daylight in the home
within the last five years.
Comfort at home
17
36 %
Europeans who are very
concered about an unhealthy
indoor climate air out more
than once a day in the winter
Indicator 6: How do Europeans
experience the quality of their sleep?
According the Healthy Homes Barometer 2015,
Europeans find that sleep is vital for good health.
Yet, it is estimated that between 16 % and 30 %
of the working population suer from insomnia18.
Insomnia lays the foundation for health problems
including poor cognitive function, stress, depres-
sion, poor social interaction, met abolic and cardi-
ovascular diseases, and an increa sed susceptibili-
ty to infection or even cancer19.
It is dicult to sleep well unless the indoor en-
vironment is comfortable. This includes fresh air,
thermal comfort20, lack of noise, and complete
darkness in the bedroom21.
To a large extent Europeans have taken heed of
this good advice, as more than 2 in 3 sleep in com-
plete darkness daily, making for an indicator score
of 69 %. However, almost one in five Europeans
rarely, if ever, sleep in complete darkness, even
though it is well established that healthy light is
inextricably linked to healthy darkness22.
Surprisingly, there is only a very limited relationship
between seeing sleep as important for ones’ health
and sleeping in complete darkness. For instance, 14 %
of Europeans who view quality sleep as very impor-
tant for their health never sleep in complete darkness.
Indicator 7: Do Europeans link
indoor climate to health?
An unhealthy indoor climate can have many
negative consequences. Inflicting resident s with
asthma or allergies is one of the most common23.
According t o the Healthy Homes B arometer 2015,
more than onethird of all European households
have one or more people with asthma or allergies.
However, the link between these illnesses and the
indoor climate does not appear to be wellknown
amongst Europeans, neither does the importance
of correct behaviour.
In households with one or more people suering
from asthma or allergies, between onequarter and
onethird of all express only a medium or low level
of concern about unhealthy indoor air quality.
Furthermore, people in households with asthma
or allergies do not air out more than Europeans in
general, and they dry their clothes indoor as much
as people in other households. The importance of
avoiding chemicals in products in the home seems to
be perceived as only marginally related to these dis-
eases, and no special thought is given to emissions
to the indoor air when choosing building materials.
Rather, there seems to be cultural dierences in
Europe with regard to sleeping habits . 79 % of
Poles sleep in complete darkness every day. This
is significantly more than many other Europeans.
In Germany and Italy only a little more than 60 %
sleep in complete darkness every night, while nor-
mal behaviour in the northern countries of Den-
mark, Norway and the UK seems to be to sleep in
complete darkness most often.
Another important factor for high quality sleep is
good indoor air quality, although again, no strong
relationship seems to exist between valuing a
good night’s sleep and airing out the home. The
problem is most apparent in wintert ime, where al-
most one in five Europeans who view high quality
sleep as ver y important for their health do not air
out their home at least once a day. For Europe-
ans who value sleep lower in terms of health, the
number is closer to one in three who do not air out
daily in the wintertime.
These findings suggest that not all Europeans are
suciently aware of what is required of the home
environment for a good night’s sleep, or are un-
able to live by these guidelines.
Only in households with four or more people suf-
fering from asthma or allergies is there slightly
more concern about an unhealthy indoor climate.
37 % from these households are very concerned,
whereas 22 % from households without asthma
or allergy are very concerned.
Of course, an explanation for lack of coherence
between illness, concern and behaviour could be
that families where one or more members suer
from asthma or allergy have already moved to
houses with a better indoor climate. However, this
is unlikely, as members of these families would
not put significantly greater emphasis on indoor
air quality if they were to move to a new house.
A more likely explanation is that there is a knowl-
edge gap. Health issues do not lead to concern and
changed behaviour because Europeans do not see
a strong link between fresh air indoors and being
healthy. Instead, a good indoor climate is linked to
a feeling of wellbeing and comfort.
A knowledge gap causing inaction may to some ex-
tent be bridged by more public conversation, lead-
ing to increased awareness, more knowledge and
ultimately changed behaviour – in this case about
the health benefits of a good indoor climate. How-
ever, legislation and fiscal incentives are also impor-
tant tools when trying to ignite change in consump -
tion and production patterns
24
, leaving the EU with
a problem: While legislation is strong on buildings´
energy performance, it is vague on indoor climate
25
.
Indicator 6
How often do you sleep
in complete darkness?
Daily
11 %
Several times a week
Once a week or more seldom
Never
5 %
14 %
69 %
18
“Sleep , Work, Live”, Dayligh t & Architectu re (22), autumn 2014.
19
Circadi an House Repor t (2013): “Circ adian House – Prin ciples and Gui delines for Hea lthy Homes”, VELU X report.
20
Haskell, E.H.,
Palca , J.W., Walker, J.M. , Berger, R.J. , Heller, H.C.: “T he eects of hi gh and low ambien t temperatur es on human slee p stages”. Elec troencepha lography and C linical Neuro physiology, p. 51 ( 1981a).
21
Veitch, J. A. & Galasiu , A.D. “The phy siological a nd psychologi cal eects o f windows, daylig ht, and view at ho me: Review and res earch agend a.”, NRC Institute f or Research in C onstruct ion, 2012.
22
The Inte rnationa l Commissi on on Illumin ation (CIE), 20 04/2009.
23
“Towards an identification of European indoor environment’s impact on health and performance”, White Paper, Grün, G. &
Urlaub, S . (2014), Frauenh ofer-Inst itut für Ba uphysik.
24
The World B ank: ”Inclusive Gree n Growth: T he Pathway to Su stainab le Developm ent”, May 2012 .
25
“Indoor Air Quality, Thermal Comfort
and Daylig ht in the Euro pean resi dential buildings”, Buil dings Performance I nstitute Europ e, 2015.
Indicator 7
Comfort at home
18
Air out several
times
a day
Air out several
times
a day
Air out several
times
a day
Air out several
times
a day
23 %
33 %
34 %
22 %
64 %
72 %
80 %
55 %
Less than highest
importance
Less than highest
importance
Highest
importance
Highest
importance
Energy at home
Europeans who are concerned about energy costs and would give it
priority if moving to a new house also air out more frequently then
those not concerned. This is true for both men and women.
Hand in hand: Energy and
health awareness go together
Summer
Winter
19
Energy costs are a concern
– and cause for action
Europeans are less than satis-
fied with the cost of energy
consumed at home, but more
than that, they act accordingly.
More than half of the European
homes have undergone changes
to reduce energy costs within
the last five years.
The desire to conserve energy and reduce energy
costs is strong among Europeans. Years of de-
liberate public policy, public debate and the eco-
nomic crisis have put energy high on the agenda in
European homes. The Healthy Homes Barometer
2015 finds evidence of high energy concern in
both attitudes, desires and actions.
Today, satisfaction wi th energy costs is l ow among
Europeans. Out of nine drivers for home satisfac-
tion, Europeans are by far least satisfied with the
cost of energy consumed at their current home.
Of course, one could always argue that it is hard to
love a cost, but there is clear evidence that Euro-
peans’ focus on energy is anything but shallow:
Europeans simply have high expectations when
the issue is energy performance.
They should have. Energy used in buildings ac-
counts for 40 % of the total energy consumption
by society.
Energy costs are important when moving
When asked about their priorities when moving
to a new home, energy cost s come in second
place among the same nine drivers, ahead of size,
attractiveness and the view to the outside. This
gives an indicator score of 6.2 for priority given
to energy costs.
Also, 51 % of Europeans have made changes to
their home to address energy costs within the last
five years. Four out of five times the home owner
has paid for the change. As a result, energy con-
sumption and costs st and out as the primar y driv-
ers behind development of the European building
mass today.
Similarly, even though Europeans who feel well
informed about the environment have made sig-
nificantly more changes to save energy. A total of
43 % of Europeans who do not feel it important
for them personally to protect the environment
have also made changes to their home to reduce
energy costs. In three out of four instances, they
have paid for the changes themselves.
Energy concern does not
compromise home comfort
High concern for energy costs does not seem to
imply compromising on home comfort. Those
highly concerned with energy costs ventilate
their homes even more, and put greater emphasis
on daylight and other home comfort factors, as
those not concerned with energy costs.
5.8
Environmental impact from building materials
Attractiveness
The view to the outside
Indoor air quality
Size
Amount of daylight
Functionality of the rooms
Energy costs
Comfort at home
6.0
6.0
6.0
6.1
6.2
6.2
6.3
5.4
Indicator 8
How important are home
energy costs to Europeans?
If you were to move into a new house,
how important would you consider…?
Energy costs are th e second highest priority
for Europ eans when moving to a new house.
The indic ator score is 6.2.
Energy at home
E
N
V
I
R
O
N
M
E
N
T
H
E
A
L
T
H
E
N
E
R
G
Y
Energy at home
20
Reasons Europeans renovate
Environmental impact
from building materials
View to the outside
Size
Amount of daylight
Indoor air quality
Functionality of rooms
Attractiveness
Energy cost
Comfort
25 %
25 %
25 %
27 %
28 %
41 %
49 %
51 %
62 %
Environmental concern in the home
21
From a societal perspective,
viewed across a building’s en-
tire life cycle, the environmen-
tal impact from our buildings
is significant, but the environ-
ment is low on Europeans’ list
of priorities.
Building a new home is a complex issue, with
many decisions to make. After deciding on the
size, layout, comfort, look and design, and all the
economic implications, there might not be much
willingness to also weight environmental consid-
erations. After all, in most cases the consumer
will not pay more for building materials leaving
little impact on the environment, and since some-
body else will probably be demolishing the house
and worrying about reuse of materials at the end
of its life time, there is really no reason to worry
about the environment.
Even so, the issue is even more challenging when
it comes to buying an existing house. How do you
factor in the environmental impact of a house al-
ready built? Does it matter?
These structural diculties probably go a long
way towards explaining why Europeans express
relatively low interest in the environment al impact
from the building materials in their home. Even
though the indicator score at 5.4 is a good way
above medium interest, this indicator is by far the
lowest scoring of the nine surveyed. Only 29 % of
all Europeans would give it the highest impo rtance.
There is a strong connection between the general
attitude towards the environment and how im-
portant people find their home’s environmental
performance. Europeans who are most environ-
mentally conscious place significantly more im-
portance on environmental impact from building
materials. Of the nine factors, this is by far the
factor that most clearly separates the environ-
mentally conscious from the population in general.
Caring ab out the environmen tal impact of the hom e
is not driven by personal benefits, but by beliefs.
One in four has made changes to their house with
environmental impact of building materials in
focus, and when buying building materials for the
home, Europeans do indicate that they take the
environment into consideration. One in four gives
it highest priority and another one in four next to
highest priority.
However, the environment is still near the bottom
of the list of things to consider, and it is surpassed
by price, durability, ease of use and look and feel.
Only brand considerations score lower. This could
pose a societal problem. Preser vation of scarce
resources, reuse of materials, waste prevention
etc. seem to lose the battle for attention amongst
European consumers.
5.8
Environmental impact from building materials
Attractiveness
The view to the outside
Indoor air quality
Size
Amount of daylight
Functionality of the rooms
Energy costs
Comfort at home
6.0
6.0
6.0
6.1
6.2
6.2
6.3
5.4
Environmental impact has low
interest and is hard to act upon
Environmental
concern in the home
Indicator 9
How important is the environmental
impact of the home to Europeans?
If you were to move into a new house,
how important would you consider…?
Environmental impact from building materials
is the lowes t scoring of t he nine drivers for the
future h ome surveyed. Th e indicator scor e is 5.4.
Environmental concern in the home
E
N
V
I
R
O
N
M
E
N
T
H
E
A
L
T
H
E
N
E
R
G
Y
¼ of all Europeans give
the environment highest
priority when buying
building materials
22
Bathroom KitchenWalls InsulationFloors Heating Windows
Hot Not
Europeans have been asked if they plan home
improvement projects and what kind of pro-
jects they are planning. In Italy home improve-
ment is hot. It’s not in Hungary. See how hot
home improvement is in Europe and what kind
of project s are planned.
How hot is
home improvement?
Annual theme: Home improvement
23
Europeans spend large
amounts of time and money
each year on improving their
homes. The amount of money
spent varies significantly
between the European coun-
tries and so do the favourite
improvement projects.
A lot of new bathrooms and kitchens will see the
light of day in Europe in 2015. Among Europe’s
house owners, 44 % are considering installing
a new bathroom or modifying or repairing their
existing bathroom within the 12 month period.
However, the list of projected European home im-
provement projects is long.
There are great variations between countries
when looking at what projects are “hot”.
In Poland, one in three expects to improve their
bathroom. Better bathrooms are also high on the
agenda in the UK, Germany, France, Czech Repub-
lic, Italy and Hungary. In comparison, only 9 % of
the Danes have plans for their bathrooms, and
they are also in low demand in Nor way, Nether-
lands, and Austria. The picture is similar when it
comes to new kitchens.
When it comes to heating, Hungary, Poland and
Italy lead the pack. Insulation is in highest demand
in Italy, France, Hungary and Poland, whereas
windows are most in demand in Hungary, Italy,
Norway and the UK.
In terms of the amount home owners plan to
spend within the next 12 months, there are in-
dications of a slight increase in spending. 35 %
are planning to spend more on building materials
compared to the preceding 12 months, 37 % plan
to spend the same, whereas 29 % will be spend-
ing less. The biggest spending increases are ex-
pected in Hungary, where 46 % will increase their
spending, followed by Poland and Norway, then
Italy and Austria.
Although the need for home improvement could be
expected to follow the age of the building, this does
not seem to be the case. There is no relationship be-
tween the age of the building and how much money
will be spent on building materials in the year to
come. Similarly, there is no significant correlation
between the age of the building and dierent home
improvement projects such as installing new win-
dows, heating, insulation, kitchen or bathroom.
It may be no surprise, but the strongest driver for
planning to spend money on home improvement
is dissatisfaction with the current home. Among
those Europeans who are more or less dissatisfied
with their current home, almost half plan to spend
more on building materials. Among those most
satisfied, only 29 % plan to spend more. However,
spending continues even among those most satis-
fied, with 61 % spending either more or the same
amount as in the previous 12-month period.
Home impro v ement
– a favourite European pastime
Annual theme:
Home improvement
Yes
Maybe
Tot a l
Bathroom 21 % 23 % 44 %
Floors 18 % 21 % 39 %
Kitchen 17 % 22 % 39 %
Insulation 16 % 22 % 38 %
Walls 19 % 19 % 38 %
Heating 14 % 20 % 34 %
Windows 14 % 20 % 34 %
Extension 8 % 12 % 20 %
Air conditioning 6 % 13 % 19 %
What will be the most popular home
improvement projects in 2015?
Which of the following changes to your
home are you expecting to make within the
next 12 months. Changes include installing
new, replacing, repairing or modifying:
Annual theme: Home improvement
24
To which extent do you
find the following impor-
tant for your health?
Ventilating my home to
let in fresh air regularly
Indicator 1: What does healthy living mean to Europeans?
To which extent do you
find the following impor-
tant for your health?
Having plenty of daylight
in my home
Indicator 1: What does healthy living mean to Europeans?
If you were to move into
a new house, how impor-
tant would you consider
each of the aspects of
the house listed below?
Amount of daylight
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Don’t know
Very important
Not important
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
1.2% 1.3% 0.9% 0.6% 2.3% 0.7% 1.3% 0.5% 0.3% 0.8% 0.6% 1.0%
1.0%
1.4% 1.2% 1.1% 1.5% 2.4% 1.6% 5.0% 0.4% 0.9% 1.1% 1.3% 2.2%
1.2%
3.2% 2.9% 2.4% 2.3% 4.2% 2.6% 6.5% 2.0% 2.0% 2.7% 3.2% 6.8%
2.8%
12.0% 6.9% 8.8% 9.1% 9.8% 6.8% 19.4% 6.6% 6.1% 7.3% 7.5% 15.8%
8.6%
20.6% 16.6% 17.3% 21.8% 19.0% 15.3% 23.9% 16.2% 12.0% 16.2% 15.9% 24.8%
17.6%
23.9% 26.5% 27.6% 31.9% 23.5% 26.4% 22.1% 23.3% 24.0% 24.1% 25.8% 25.9%
25.6%
36.5% 44.1% 40.9% 32.5% 37.0% 46.3% 20.3% 50.7% 54.5% 47.5% 45.2% 22.6%
42.5%
1.2% 0.5% 0.9% 0.3% 1.8% 0.3% 1.5% 0.3% 0.1% 0.3% 0.7% 0.8% 0.7%
In your opinion, who
of the following are
responsible for ensuring
that the buildings we
live in are healthy?
Indicator 3: Who are responsible for ensuring healthy buildings?
Indicator 4: How important is daylight at home to Europeans?
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
Legislators
Property
developers/professional house builders
Banks and mortgage institutions
Construction companies
Manufacturers of building components
Tenants
Owners
Architects
4,81 4,70 5,04 4,95 4,31 4,70 4,88 5,24 3,82 4,80 4,73 5,12
4,86
5,73 5,65 5,65 5,30 5,56 5,32 5,63 6,12 4,86 5,83 5,38 5,94
5,67
3,20 2,62 3,50 2,74 2,80 2,91 2,82 3,60 2,59 2,63 2,84 2,46
3,07
5,50 5,26 5,62 5,29 5,39 5,38 5,17 5,68 5,07 5,46 5,27 5,21
5,44
5,25 5,37 5,56 5,09 5,29 5,19 5,36 5,53 5,11 5,44 5,32 5,41
5,38
4,56 4,26 3,85 4,21 4,89 3,80 3,25 4,30 3,86 4,25 4,86 3,69
4,28
5,82 6,01 5,55 5,69 5,61 5,87 5,93 5,59 5,95 6,00 5,65 6,12
5,76
5,56 5,46 5,70 5,55 5,76 5,84 5,33 5,93 5,58 5,74 5,88 5,59 5,67
How concerned are you
about the following?
Living in a building with
an unhealthy indoor air
quality
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Don’t know
Very concerned
Not concerned
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
12.6% 12.4% 4.5% 21.4% 2.7% 8.2% 17.7% 7.2% 56.6% 16.9% 9.6% 18.8%
11.4%
8.1% 10.0% 2.1% 11.8% 3.0% 5.2% 12.3% 4.1% 15.2% 8.4% 7.1% 13.3%
7.0%
8.8% 9.9% 3.8% 12.9% 4.0% 7.5% 12.5% 5.3% 9.0% 10.8% 6.5% 13.2%
7.5%
15.7% 16.0% 10.2% 15.5% 7.5% 11.6% 19.3% 12.8% 7.7% 14.6% 15.4% 18.0%
13.8%
17.3% 18.6% 17.9% 13.5% 15.4% 15.6% 16.0% 20.6% 4.9% 16.4% 17.0% 14.6%
17.5%
15.3% 16.1% 21.5% 12.1% 22.8% 19.3% 10.4% 20.5% 2.8% 14.1% 18.7% 9.7%
17.4%
19.9% 16.4% 36.6% 10.6% 43.8% 30.2% 9.2% 29.5% 2.5% 17.8% 23.9% 10.7%
23.8%
2.4% 0.6% 3.3% 2.2% 0.7% 2.5% 2.5% 0.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1.8% 1.7% 1.6%
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Don’t know
Very important
Not important
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
0.5% 0.3% 0.1% 0.6% 0.5% 0.6% 0.6% 0.1% 0.2% 0.5% 0.3% 0.4%
0.3%
0.4% 0.5% 0.4% 0.6% 0.7% 0.3% 1.0% 0.1% 0.1% 0.3% 0.6% 0.4%
0.4%
2.8% 2.0% 0.8% 0.7% 0.4% 1.4% 3.4% 1.2% 0.6% 1.0% 1.0% 1.2%
1.5%
7.0% 4.5% 4.2% 5.9% 4.8% 3.8% 12.3% 4.0% 3.9% 3.3% 5.1% 7.2%
5.0%
20.6% 16.0% 13.0% 18.3% 12.7% 12.8% 24.6% 12.2% 11.0% 12.2% 11.5% 22.3%
15.1%
31.7% 33.2% 30.9% 35.6% 27.5% 28.5% 30.4% 25.1% 21.4% 28.1% 26.9% 35.7%
30.0%
36.4% 42.7% 49.5% 37.3% 53.0% 52.3% 26.4% 57.0% 62.5% 54.0% 54.2% 32.0%
47.0%
0.6% 0.8% 1.1% 1.0% 0.5% 0.3% 1.4% 0.1% 0.2% 0.6% 0.3% 0.9% 0.6%
The nine indicators
The nine indicators
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Don’t know
Very important
Not important
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
0.7% 0.5% 0.3% 0.6% 0.9% 0.4% 0.7% 0.0% 0.0% 0.5% 0.5% 0.3%
0.4%
1.3% 0.8% 0.5% 1.0% 0.9% 0.7% 2.1% 0.7% 0.6% 1.1% 0.9% 1.3%
0.9%
3.9% 2.1% 0.9% 1.5% 2.1% 1.9% 6.0% 0.9% 1.4% 2.0% 1.7% 3.5%
2.0%
9.6% 5.4% 5.3% 6.6% 6.4% 4.2% 15.2% 4.6% 3.8% 5.6% 6.4% 12.8%
6.3%
19.7% 12.3% 13.7% 15.0% 11.6% 12.4% 26.4% 10.0% 8.4% 13.5% 12.4% 25.7%
13.9%
24.9% 26.0% 27.1% 32.8% 22.2% 26.8% 24.3% 23.1% 17.2% 20.1% 23.6% 26.4%
25.1%
39.2% 51.9% 51.7% 42.1% 55.1% 53.3% 24.2% 60.6% 68.4% 56.9% 54.3% 29.7%
50.9%
0.8% 0.8% 0.6% 0.4% 0.7% 0.3% 1.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.2% 0.3% 0.5% 0.6%
Indicator 2: How concerned are Europeans about an unhealthy home?
25
How often do you sleep
in complete darkness?
In the winter, how often
do you air out at least
one room in your home?
If you were to move into
a new house, how impor-
tant would you consider
each of the aspects of
the house listed below?
Indoor air quality
Indicator 5: How important is indoor air quality to Europeans?
Indicator 6: How do Europeans experience the quality of their sleep?
Indicator 7: Do Europeans link indoor climate to health?
If you were to move into
a new house, how impor-
tant would you consider
each of the aspects of
the house listed below?
Energy costs
Indicator 8: How important are home energy costs to Europeans?
Indicator 9: How important is the environmental impact of the home to Europeans?
If you were to move into
a new house, how impor-
tant would you consider
each of the aspects of
the house listed below?
Environmental impact
from building materials
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
Daily
Several times a week
Once a week
Two or three times a month
Once a month
Less than once a month
Never
Don’t know
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
74.1% 62.8% 71.9% 72.3% 60.9% 70.5% 78.7% 60.6% 68.6% 67.5% 79.2% 74.0%
68.9%
8.1% 12.8% 9.6% 7.9% 13.1% 7.4% 10.4% 13.1% 11.1% 12.7% 8.3% 8.6%
10.5%
1.5% 2.0% 2.1% 0.9% 1.9% 1.9% 1.6% 1.6% 1.2% 0.8% 1.1% 0.4%
1.6%
1.2% 1.3% 1.1% 0.8% 1.5% 0.5% 0.6% 1.8% 1.9% 0.6% 0.9% 0.9%
1.2%
0.5% 0.4% 0.2% 0.4% 0.8% 0.6% 0.9% 0.7% 0.5% 0.5% 0.4% 0.1%
0.5%
2.0% 2.2% 1.6% 1.2% 1.9% 1.4% 0.8% 0.6% 2.6% 1.8% 1.2% 2.3%
1.6%
11.2% 17.4% 12.2% 14.2% 16.8% 16.3% 5.2% 20.9% 13.3% 14.3% 7.0% 11.4%
14.3%
1.4% 1.1% 1.4% 2.2% 3.1% 1.4% 1.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1.8% 1.9% 2.3% 1.4%
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
Several times a day
Once a day
Several times a week
Once a week
Two or three times a month
Once a month
Less than once a month
Never
Don’t know
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
10.9% 45.6% 18.6% 19.5% 50.6% 21.1% 19.1% 27.5% 42.5% 49.6% 32.3% 29.3%
28.4%
32.0% 45.7% 57.9% 45.3% 39.3% 51.2% 41.0% 60.1% 45.6% 40.1% 50.4% 45.5%
48.1%
19.6% 5.8% 12.5% 17.4% 7.0% 14.6% 16.7% 8.6% 9.0% 7.3% 10.6% 16.0%
11.5%
16.3% 1.4% 6.5% 8.8% 1.6% 7.2% 10.1% 2.8% 1.8% 1.3% 3.9% 5.6%
6.0%
6.2% 0.7% 1.8% 3.4% 0.7% 3.0% 4.8% 0.4% 0.6% 0.3% 1.1% 1.8%
2.1%
3.6% 0.0% 0.5% 1.0% 0.0% 0.7% 1.7% 0.3% 0.2% 0.2% 0.3% 0.8%
0.9%
4.6% 0.1% 0.7% 1.9% 0.2% 0.7% 1.1% 0.1% 0.4% 0.3% 0.5% 0.3%
1.1%
3.9% 0.1% 0.6% 0.8% 0.2% 0.6% 1.3% 0.2% 0.0% 0.2% 0.4% 0.2%
0.9%
3.0% 0.6% 0.9% 1.9% 0.3% 0.9% 4.2% 0.1% 0.1% 0.6% 0.5% 0.6% 1.1%
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Don’t know
Very important
Not important
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
1.1% 0.5% 0.7% 0.8% 0.7% 0.3% 0.5% 0.3% 0.1% 0.4% 0.4% 0.2%
0.6%
1.3% 0.6% 0.6% 0.4% 0.8% 0.4% 0.6% 0.3% 0.3% 0.5% 0.3% 0.0%
0.6%
3.8% 2.7% 1.3% 2.7% 1.2% 1.6% 2.3% 0.8% 0.6% 1.9% 2.0% 2.1%
2.1%
10.2% 6.8% 6.5% 7.7% 6.5% 6.0% 10.7% 3.6% 2.5% 5.8% 7.0% 9.4%
6.8%
22.0% 18.3% 17.9% 21.2% 11.7% 19.0% 20.9% 13.4% 8.5% 14.0% 14.1% 21.0%
17.3%
28.8% 30.8% 33.2% 31.3% 24.8% 28.8% 33.6% 25.5% 21.7% 30.0% 27.2% 32.2%
29.3%
32.1% 39.1% 38.4% 33.7% 53.7% 43.2% 29.4% 55.8% 66.0% 46.4% 48.2% 34.0%
42.4%
0.7% 1.1% 1.5% 2.2% 0.7% 0.8% 2.1% 0.2% 0.3% 1.1% 0.8% 1.1% 0.9%
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Don’t know
Very important
Not important
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
0.6% 0.1% 0.2% 0.7% 0.3% 0.2% 0.8% 0.3% 0.1% 0.3% 0.3% 0.1%
0.3%
0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 0.8% 0.7% 0.6% 0.9% 0.5% 0.3% 0.6% 0.7% 0.2%
0.4%
2.3% 1.1% 0.7% 1.9% 1.2% 0.7% 3.0% 1.0% 0.6% 0.8% 0.7% 2.0%
1.2%
6.3% 4.0% 5.5% 8.4% 2.4% 3.1% 10.8% 3.4% 1.9% 3.3% 3.9% 5.6%
4.7%
17.2% 12.1% 12.6% 18.7% 6.3% 11.6% 20.9% 11.0% 5.3% 10.9% 7.5% 18.8%
12.5%
28.7% 27.9% 28.6% 31.2% 20.1% 26.3% 31.5% 24.2% 12.6% 24.4% 19.0% 33.9%
26.2%
43.8% 53.0% 50.8% 36.6% 68.6% 56.6% 30.0% 59.3% 78.8% 58.8% 67.4% 37.6%
53.6%
0.7% 1.4% 1.4% 1.7% 0.5% 1.0% 2.0% 0.4% 0.4% 0.9% 0.4% 1.9% 1.0%
UK DE F NL CZ BE NO IT HU AT PL DK Total
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Don’t know
Very important
Not important 4.4% 2.7% 3.3% 4.5% 2.4% 2.2% 2.4% 0.7% 0.4% 2.5% 2.6% 3.7%
2.8%
3.9% 2.4% 1.8% 4.3% 2.9% 3.7% 3.6% 1.4% 0.9% 3.8% 3.0% 2.7%
2.6%
7.1% 6.2% 4.8% 8.9% 4.2% 6.7% 5.6% 3.0% 3.6% 5.1% 5.2% 8.7%
5.5%
14.4% 11.5% 12.6% 17.5% 15.6% 14.7% 17.8% 9.8% 7.3% 10.5% 13.0% 15.2%
12.6%
21.2% 17.9% 22.4% 21.3% 17.7% 21.1% 21.8% 20.1% 16.8% 18.1% 19.2% 19.5%
20.0%
22.9% 25.5% 24.5% 20.2% 21.4% 22.1% 21.5% 26.6% 25.0% 25.4% 18.6% 20.8%
23.8%
21.9% 29.2% 26.3% 15.6% 32.3% 25.6% 18.9% 37.0% 43.8% 31.2% 35.7% 20.9%
28.9%
4.1% 4.7% 4.2% 7.8% 3.6% 3.9% 8.4% 1.3% 2.1% 3.3% 2.7% 8.4% 3.9%
The Healthy Homes Barometer is built on data generated from
questions answered by 12,000 Europeans in 12 countries, 1,000 from
each country. On this spread is data showing variations by countries.
The nine indicators
26
Imprint
Healthy Homes Barometer 2015
Publisher: Michael K. Rasmussen
VELUX Editorial Team: Lone Feifer,
Ulrich Ba ng, Marie Wickmann Elkjær,
Mikkel Skott Olsen, Jens Christoersen,
Kathrine Westermann, Astrid Unger
Academic advice: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Bernd
Wegener, Humboldt University, Berlin
Text and concept: Operate
Data coll ection: Wilke
Design: Operate
Website: www.velux.com/healthyhomes
Print run: 3500 copies
© 2015 VELUX Group
VELUX and V ELUX logo are
registered trademarks used
under license by VELUX G roup.
“Our ambition is to fill this knowledge gap with the Healthy
Homes Barometer. We have examined whether European citizens
support what experts have long called the buildings of the future:
Homes that create healthier and more comfortable lives for their
occupants without impacting negatively on the climate and the
environment; homes that move us towards a cleaner, healthier
and safer world.
This year’s barometer shows that Europeans consider that their
homes are of huge importance to their health and wellbeing.
However, in general Europeans are far too optimistic when it
comes to the actual state of their home indoor climate, thinking
that everything is good. They are also far too reluctant to behave
according to their beliefs and let in fresh air and daylight.
I sincerely hope that the Healthy Homes Barometer will spark a
transition, not only in the way buildings are built, but also in the
way we think and communicate about our homes and the role
they play in modern lives, cities and society at large.”
Michael K. Rasmussen, Chief Marketing Ocer of the VELUX Group, on why the VELUX
Group has asked 12,000 Europeans what they think and how they act regarding home
comfort, energy consumption and environmental impact.