5.1 Indoor environmental quality
5.1.1 Lighting. Table I shows that respondents in the study buildings were generally satisfied with the amount of artificial lighting in their dwellings, with scores that were better than the BUS benchmark. Satisfaction scores for natural lighting and control over lighting were slightly lower than the BUS benchmark, suggesting that residents are struggling with the amount of daylighting let in by the large amounts of glazing (estimated at well over 50 per cent on exterior walls) that each dwelling is furnished with. Lower satisfaction with natural lighting is likely the result of inconvenient glare in the dwelling which may result in excessive use of blinds during sunny days, a behaviour which would limit solar heat gains in winter and lead to increased energy use.
5.1.2 Noise. Table I shows that the level of control respondents’ reported over noise is far lower than for lighting. This trend is supported by respondents’ comments in which dissatisfaction was expressed primarily with noise from neighbours. Many respondents expressed that they could hearing talking, music, televisions and other undesirable activities from their neighbouring dwellings, especially those above their own dwelling.
Given the dissatisfaction observed in the noise comments, it is interesting to note that three of the four questions about noise had mean scores which were better than the BUS benchmarks (Table I). On the one hand, this suggests that noise is a common problem in residential buildings. It also suggests that Canadian buildings may be performing better in this regard than European buildings, although this cannot be said definitively. Relative success in this area could have positive implications for the uptake of this building product in the Canadian market.