French houses [12], to the results of previous studies conducted in new dwellings and to the IAQ guideline values currently used in France. The air changes per hour (ACH) from mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) were measured and compared to those of standard French homes [13]. The air-exhaust rates were compared to the French standards [14] for minimal airflow for dwellings according to the number of habitable rooms. The noise levels were measured, and the occupants' perceptions were evaluated with a questionnaire. 2. Materials and methods A recently developed method for assessing IAQ, occupant comfort and energy consumption was applied in this study. A detailed description of sampling and measurement techniques has been presented elsewhere [15]. A short overview of the analytical procedures and the sampling strategy is given below. 2.1. Description of the seven single-family detached houses Seven newly built, single-family detached houses in four regions of France (Centre, Pays-de-la-Loire, Ilede-France and Rhône-Alpes) were investigated in this study (Table 1). Table 1-Main characteristics of the seven new single-family detached houses investigated in this study in terms of construction, equipment and occupancy The buildings had one or two stories, and one had an attached garage (A). All houses were constructed in accordance with an energy-efficient building certification such as the French BBC-Effinergie certification or the German Passivhaus certification. Three houses were certified (A: BBC-Effinergie; C and D: Passivhaus); house B's certification process was ongoing , and the builders or owners of the other houses are not pursuing certification. Houses F and G satisfied the requirements of all 14 targets of the French High Environmental Quality Programme (HQE). The airtightness of all buildings was measured with a 4 blower-door test between 0.29 and 3.33 vol/h under 50 Pascal pressure (0.06 and 0.41 m 3 /h.m 2 under 4 Pascal pressure). The houses' annual consumption of conventional primary energy (heating, cooling, ventilation, auxiliaries, hot water production, lighting facilities) was between 46 and 79 kWh/m 2 /year. These houses were well within the requirements of the French 2005 thermal regulations (RT 2005) for buildings (airtightness less than 0.8 m 3 /h.m 2 under 4 Pa and annual consumption of conventional primary energy less than 150 kWh/m 2 /year). The houses also qualified as highly energy-efficient houses as defined by the French 2012 thermal regulation (RT 2012) because of their high airtightness (under 0.6 m 3 /h.m 2 under 4 Pa) and their theoretical low energy consumption (an annual consumption of conventional primary energy equal or less than 50 kWh/m 2 /year). All of the houses were wood frame except for house A (stone) and used mineral (A, F and G) or vegetable (B, C, D and E) insulating material. All of the houses were equipped with an MVHR system with two, three or four normal fan speeds and occasionally one boost setting. The heating systems were mostly heat pumps (A, C, D...

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International audienceIn order to improve the knowledge of the indoor environment quality of energy-efficient buildings, a 3-year follow-up study was carried out in two wooden-framed low-energy single-family houses in France. Several indoor air indicators and indoor environmental parameters were measured during seven weeks in total from the pre-occupancy stage up to three years of occupancy. Questionnaires were used for each investigation to record the family activities and perceived comfort of occupants. The ventilation systems presented some shortcomings, including the failure to reach the designed exhaust air flow rate and induced occupant dissatisfaction. Regarding the measured pollutants, both houses didn't present any specific indoor air pollution. The variability of indoor air quality over time was explained by the high emissions from the new building materials, products, and paints during the first months after completion and then more episodically by human activities during occupancy. Regarding the thermal comfort and even if occupants were globally satisfied, overheating and under-heating were observed. According to our results and in order to guarantee the health and the well-being of occupants in these buildings, it would be useful to integrate the solar shadings at the very first stage of the building design, to design more quiet, user-friendly and robust ventilation systems and to implement mandatory inspection as well as frequent maintenance by professionals and finally to promote the labelling of low-emitting construction and decoration products, furniture and consumer products

Le Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment (CSTB) a proposé en 2007 un indice de confinement de l'air pour les salles de classe, fondé sur la mesure de la concentration en dioxyde de carbone (CO 2 ). Sur une échelle de 0 à 5, cet indice, appelé ICONE, reflète l'adéquation du renouvellement d'air d'une pièce à sa densité d'occupation. Il prend en compte à la fois les fréquences de situation de confinement, mais également leur intensité. Appliqué à la surveillance réglementaire de la qualité de l'air dans les écoles et lieux d'accueil de la petite enfance, cet indice s'est révélé être un outil pertinent et utile aux gestionnaires soucieux d'améliorer les conditions de ventilation de leurs locaux.Le présent article montre comment cet indice conçu pour les écoles peut être appliqué à l'habitat, en insistant sur la spécificité de ce lieu de vie, les conditions d'occupation des pièces étant très différentes de celles des salles de classe. Selon l'état d'occupation des pièces, l'état des portes intérieures et des fenêtres, ouvertes ou fermées, l'indice de confinement est très différent d'un logement à l'autre. Les chambres sont systématiquement plus confinées que les séjours. Un indice de confinement relatif à l'ensemble du logement exige des mesures dans les différentes pièces. Aussi, en première approche, il est proposé de se limiter au confinement de l'air dans la chambre principale du logement, en période nocturne, sur une durée d'une semaine.