This paper presents results of over 34,000 survey responses to air quality and thermal comfort questions in 215 buildings in US, Canada, and Finland. Results show that 80% or more of the occupants expressed satisfaction with their thermal comfort in only 11% of the buildings surveyed. Air quality scores were somewhat higher, with 26% of buildings having 80% or occupant satisfaction. With respect to thermal comfort and air quality performance goals set out by standards, most buildings appear to be falling far short. Occupant surveys offer a means to systematically measure this performance, and also to provide diagnostic information for building designers and operators.

This paper summarizes the results of a large indoor environmental quality survey in office buildings, comparing green with non-green buildings. On average, occupants in green buildings were more satisfied with thermal comfort and air quality in their workspace. However, the average satisfaction scores in green buildings for lighting and acoustic quality were comparable to the non-green average. Comparing complaint profiles of those dissatisfied with lighting and acoustic quality, a higher percentage of occupants were dissatisfied with light levels and sound privacy in green buildings. Our results suggest a need for improvements in controllability of lighting, and innovative strategies to accommodate sound privacy needs in open plan or cubicle office layouts in both comparison groups.