Combining Energy Performance and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) in Buildings: A Systematic Review on Common IEQ Guidelines and Energy Codes in North America

Ishanka Perera, Kasun Hewage (), Anber Rana and Rehan Sadiq
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Ishanka Perera: School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
Kasun Hewage: School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
Anber Rana: College of Built Environments, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
Rehan Sadiq: School of Engineering, The University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, 3333 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-30

Abstract: The indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in buildings is vital for health, work efficiency, productivity, and the overall sustainability of buildings. IEQ is governed by four parameters: indoor air quality and thermal, acoustic, and visual comfort. The recent pandemic has compelled people to think beyond energy efficiency and refocus on the health, well-being, and productivity of building occupants. Despite numerous IEQ guidelines and standards, there remains a paucity of systematic research that critically examines the relationship between IEQ and building energy efficiency. This systematic review explores the existing equilibrium and identifies gaps between IEQ standards and building energy codes. Firstly, this review examined the status of the IEQ standards and identified that most of the North American IEQ guidelines cannot achieve energy efficiency targets. Secondly, existing building energy codes were reviewed to determine how well these codes fare with IEQ requirements. It was revealed that the expensive energy certification documents are more focused on IEQ than traditional energy codes. The identified factors indicate that most building energy codes can meet only indoor air quality thresholds (a subset of IEQ), while other parameters are inadequately addressed. This review revealed 19 relationships between IEQs and energy efficiency. Building energy code/IEQ guidelines developers could consider the identified 19 relationships to develop a combined set of guidelines/standards for future building stock. An integration model between IEQ and energy efficiency is proposed as a future research direction to contribute to the better design and construction of modern buildings. The findings will facilitate the construction of healthy and sustainable buildings, and they aim to generate new residential communities that achieve an optimal health–energy–carbon nexus.

Keywords: indoor environmental quality (IEQ); thermal comfort; indoor air quality (IAQ); acoustic comfort; visual comfort; building energy efficiency; green building standards (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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