The HOPE Project: The UK Experience

HOPE (Health Optimisation Protocol for Energy-efficient Buildings) was a collaborative European project, which aimed to demonstrate that energy-efficient buildings can be both healthy and comfortable for their occupants. The fieldwork within the HOPE project included a preliminary cross-sectional stage using building checklists and occupant questionnaires, and a more detailed investigation of a small number of home and office buildings. These measurements aimed to evaluate indoor environmental quality (including ventilation). The main problems found in the UK offices were related to ventilation, high temperature and high levels of particulate matter, areas that were also highlighted as concerns in the occupant questionnaires. This means that perceived occupant health may be a preliminary indication for office building evaluation. However, that was not the case in the UK homes, where occupant health and comfort were not consistent with physical environmental measurements, indicating that perceived health and comfort was based on more than the physical parameters and cannot be fully explained by the measurements.