Three out of four municipal decision-makers who responded to a survey by the Finnish Building Technology Industry and Trade Association say, that their own municipality has had indoor air problems over the past four years. The problems are being addressed, but the cumulative effects have only been assessed in a third of municipalities. Now, the pressure to save money in municipalities is threatening good development in terms of public health and the economy.
75 percent of the 101 municipal decision-makers who participated in a survey* by the Finnish Building Technology and Trade Association say that their municipality has had indoor air problems in public spaces during this council term. 90 percent of them say that the problems have been successfully resolved. According to a survey conducted by Iro Research, the importance of good indoor conditions is widely recognized in Finnish municipalities: eight out of ten respondents consider the healthiness, safety and comfort of buildings to be an important factor in the municipality's attractiveness.
In addition to municipal decision-makers, Talteka has surveyed the opinions of Finns about the indoor conditions of public spaces**.
“It is great that municipalities are actively addressing indoor air problems. This observation is also supported by our previous study, according to which eight out of ten Finns are satisfied with the indoor conditions of public spaces in their own municipality. On the other hand, concerns about the issue still exist, as a fifth of Finns are quite or very concerned and a third are somewhat concerned about the health and safety of public spaces,” says Talteka’s CEO. Ilkka Salo says.
Despite the prevalence of indoor air problems, only one in three municipal decision-makers who responded to the survey say that their municipality has assessed not only the direct costs of the problems but also their cumulative effects, such as sick leave, work efficiency, and reduced work satisfaction.
"It is of primary importance to take action as soon as indoor air problems are detected. However, it would be good if we could also prevent problems from occurring better than we currently do, because investing in good indoor conditions is a profitable investment," says Salo.
“Studies show that good indoor air supports health and reduces morbidity. For example, if daycare children and young schoolchildren get sick less, their parents’ absences from work will also decrease. Air quality can also have a significant impact on the well-being and coping at work of personnel. This is a significant public health and economic issue in which municipalities play an important role.”
More than half of municipal decision-makers would invest in property care and maintenance when developing the building stock, but only one in ten would prioritize indoor air renovations.
Of the municipal decision-makers who responded to the survey, 59 percent say that their municipality has made savings on the property budget during this council term. The savings have mostly been made on renovations (70%), maintenance and upkeep (37%), and the renewal of technical systems (35%). The quality of indoor conditions has been compromised due to savings in almost every fourth municipality.
"Fortunately, indoor conditions can be effectively influenced with modern and intelligent building technology, taking energy efficiency into account. Adequate ventilation is the foundation of healthy and safe spaces, and it is worth investing in it in all buildings. In addition, air purifiers, for example, have achieved good results in preventing the spread of airborne diseases," says Salo.
* Iro Research collected the data for the study commissioned by the Finnish Association of Building Technology and Commerce through telephone interviews and an online form from 22.1 January to 4.2.2025 February 101. The sample size was 71 people in total. 30 of the respondents were municipal mayors, technical managers and directors, heads of public works departments and other technical decision-makers. XNUMX respondents were municipal council chairmen.
** Iro Research conducted the survey online from January 14 to 22.1.2025, 1. The survey sample, N=000, was weighted by age, gender, type of residence, and province to reflect the Finnish population nationwide. The statistical margin of error for the survey is a maximum of approximately 3,2 percentage points.
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Ilkka Salo
CEO
ilkka.salo@rt.fi + 358 40 847 9907Finnish Building Services Industries and Trade (Talteka)