Indoor Air Quality: The Hidden Retrofit Challenge
09/10/2025
Jenny Danson
Why Indoor Air Deserves Equal Priority
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is no longer a fringe concern — it is a fundamental component of healthy housing. “We are not capturing the value of indoor air for health and well-being in the built environment,” says Dr Douglas Booker, Lecturer in Indoor Air at the University of Leeds, Co-founder of NAQTS, and Regional Clean Air Champion for the UK’s £42.5m Strategic Priorities Fund Clean Air Programme.
He argues that while energy efficiency programmes are critical for net zero, they can have unintended consequences. “If this is not done with sufficient purpose for ventilation, it can make various aspects of indoor environmental quality worse,” he warns.
The upcoming implementation of Awaab’s Law has made poor air quality — and its link to damp and mould — impossible for landlords to ignore.
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