Ventilation provision and use in homes in Great Britain: A national survey

First large-scale national survey of ventilation provision and use in British homes

Role: Lead Researcher
Institution: University College London Funding: NERC Future Urban Ventilation Network (NE/V002082/1)
Duration: 2021–2024

Description

Lead researcher responsible for designing and deploying the first large-scale national survey of ventilation provision and use in British homes. Despite the critical role ventilation plays at the intersection of health, energy, and climate, no large-scale data previously existed on ventilation provision and occupant behaviour in British homes. This research addressed this gap through a national questionnaire survey administered through YouGov to a broadly representative sample of 2,039 adults in England, Wales, and Scotland, yielding 1,861 validated responses for analysis.

Responsible for the complete research lifecycle including conceptualisation, methodology development, survey instrument design, data processing (Python), formal statistical analysis, data curation and open access publishing, visualisation, project administration, and the writing of both publications. The survey instrument collected 396 variables across four categories: socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, physical dwelling features and services, ventilation behaviours (including barriers and drivers), and other contextual factors such as health conditions, perceptions of indoor air quality, and the prevalence of damp and mould.

Key Findings

  • 67% of British homes did not have ventilation provision that meets long-established building standards
  • 35% of post-1991 homes, built after mandatory building standards, still did not comply with ventilation requirements
  • Only 11% of respondents had both compliant ventilation provision and had received information on proper use
  • 22% of respondents reported damp or mould on walls or surfaces in their homes
  • When extrapolated to 27.8 million British dwellings, approximately 19.7 million homes lack adequate ventilation provision

Key Contributions

  • Designed and deployed first national-scale survey of ventilation in British homes
  • Developed comprehensive survey instrument capturing 396 variables across socioeconomic, physical, behavioural, and contextual domains
  • Conducted advanced statistical analysis to identify compliance gaps with building standards
  • Generated policy recommendations for Government departments and public health agencies
  • Published complete dataset and documentation as open access resource for research community
  • Quantified relationship between dwelling age, tenure type, and ventilation provision compliance

Technical Skills

  • Large-scale survey design and deployment
  • Python programming for data processing and analysis
  • Statistical analysis (Chi-square tests, frequency distributions)
  • Data curation and open science practices
  • Policy analysis and research translation
  • Housing stock characterisation
  • Building standards evaluation

Publications

  1. Van Rooyen, C. and Sharpe, T. (2024). Ventilation provision and use in homes in Great Britain: A national survey. Building and Environment, 257, 111528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2024.111528

  2. Van Rooyen, C.A. and Sharpe, T. (2025). Survey data on ventilation provision and use in homes in Great Britain. Data in Brief, 63, 112090. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2025.112090