SYMPTOMS EXPERIENCED, ENVIRONMENTAL-FACTORS AND ENERGY-CONSUMPTION INOFFICE BUILDINGS

A major increase of complaints has been observed by the occupants of b uildings, concerning health symptoms and comfort. In this study, the o ccupants' experience of symptoms as well as the occupants' sensation o f the environmental parameters were estimated in six office buildings, where the indoor air quality was investigated. It was found that the percentage of building related symptoms experienced by the occupants o f the buildings was high and it was strongly related to human comfort and human sensation concerning the environmental conditions. The human response to the environmental conditions showed that none of the para meters was judged as being unacceptable overall, which indicates that the number of symptoms observed in each building cannot be attributed to one cause but to the contribution of various environmental paramete rs. Moreover, it was found that the increase of energy consumption was associated with the increase of health symptoms for these buildings.