We spend 90% of our time indoors. We focus our time on work, family and lifestyle. When we talk about health, we think about healthy food and exercise. But it is clear that the indoor climate has an effect on our health - for better or for worse...
Indoor climate with a new focus
We breathe more kilos of air in a day than we eat food. So when we talk about the importance of healthy food, you should also focus on healthy air. A particularly impressive example is seen in the children who have a good indoor climate, who can come a whole grade level ahead of the children with a bad indoor climate. This is due to the increased performance and ability to concentrate as a result of the good indoor climate.
Unfortunately, it is far from most children who go to school in a healthy indoor climate. Today, approx. 70% of primary schools in Denmark have a bad energy label (https://www.danskbyggeri.dk/media/39999/analyse_kommuner-og-energi.pdf)
In an article written by SYNERGI, they provide three measures to increase health and well-being so that the indoor climate contributes to core well-being.
Initiative 1: Our children must be ensured a good upbringing in healthy homes and schools
It is about creating the best conditions and prerequisites for well-being, health and learning. Therefore, all children must have the right to a healthy indoor climate. This applies both at school and at home.
Initiative 2: Denmark must have the world's most sustainable public buildings
With almost one million employed in the public sector and almost two million in public buildings in the institutions, it is important to start here.
Initiative 3: The energy label must be expanded with a criterion for indoor climate
The current energy label is an important tool for creating an overview of the condition of buildings that are part of the building mass.
Health and well-being should be more important than money, and therefore SYNERGI believes that the energy brand should be able to do even more. Measurements of indoor climate should be incorporated into the energy label.
In this way, the Danes must be guaranteed housing that is both healthy, green and cheap to live in.
Sa mfund economic lag
When we talk about indoor climate, we talk about health and well-being - but we also talk about good finances. Ea Energianalyse, on behalf of SYNERGI, has calculated that if Denmark renovates the public buildings, we can save DKK 40 billion in so-called 'multiple benefits'.
This is solely on the basis of reduced expenses in connection with sick leave, health expenses and lost productivity in the workplace.
There are several consequences of an improved indoor climate and therefore the actual savings from an improved indoor climate are significantly greater.
Read the report here: https://synergiorg.dk/media/1222/analyse-af-det-samfundsoekonomiske-potentiale-for-energisparkenner-final.pdf
Our contribution to the social economy
You will not get started on saving DKK 40 billion by rebuilding 70% of all primary schools and buildings that house over two million public employees every day before 2050. This requires interventions that are easy to implement, profitable and that influence behaviour.
In addition to significantly supporting SYNERGI's concrete proposals, we at ÅBN have developed a plug-and-play device that tells when the indoor climate is good and when it is bad. In this way, it is a sign to employees, primary school pupils or institutional children to ventilate and thus contribute to the good indoor climate.
It is not a solution that can stand alone in the goal of saving DKK 40 billion, but it is a helping hand that you can implement tomorrow.
It is common sense…
