Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 19 May 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Ventilation and Covid-19: Discussion

Mr. Simon Jones:

The answer is quite simple. Had I been asked that question maybe even five years ago I would have said that yes, many of the practices and policies were at odds with what we are discussing today but I really do not think that is the case now. Ventilation and indoor environmental quality is very much aligned with the goals of the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, SEAI, and the plan for retrofitting our buildings. It is a core tenet of it. Certainly under the deep retrofit programmes carried out, there is quite extensive auditing of ventilation systems. It was one of the first organisations to take up this independent validating of ventilation systems as part of that programme. While it may not be perfect, it is certainly moving in the right direction and there is no reason for it to be at odds. One of the key selling points for improving our building stock is the improvement to the indoor environment. That is one of the core tenets of the SEAI's approach to selling retrofitting.