Eurovent President Sets Priorities for Ventilation Industry

Mikael Börjesson, the new President of Eurovent Association, has outlined the topics expected to shape the organisation’s next chapter, including energy efficiency, sustainability, resilience, health, and indoor environmental quality across Europe.

In an interview with Eurovent Communications Officer Ngoni Taruvinga, Börjesson said he is taking over an organisation that is “very strong” and has “a solid foundation,” while also operating in a period of political and global change. He said Eurovent will need to adapt to the energy crisis, the EU focus on energy efficiency first, and the sustainability transition, including built-in carbon perspectives.

Börjesson said Eurovent should continue to build on its technical expertise as a manufacturer-driven organisation with product groups. He also pointed to opportunities to increase advocacy efforts targeting policymakers, saying this is an area where he would like to spend more time from both a board and presidency perspective.

The interview also addressed the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and its focus on indoor environmental quality. Börjesson said the EPBD will not be implemented by 29 May because most Member States are late in their local legislation. He said the impact on people in homes, schools, and workplaces will depend on how local legislation interprets the EPBD’s intention.

Börjesson said the industry needs to communicate the importance of both energy efficiency and healthy, comfortable indoor climates. He noted that indoor conditions are often invisible to the public and could be shown through sensors, displays, or obligatory checks by experts who evaluate building conditions and report suggested improvements.

“I would like, if I can, to aim for one industry, one voice,” Mikael Börjesson said. “Can we align all the different voices so we are directing them in one way, and I would like to see Eurovent also moving in a way connected to the alignment to be seen as an open organisation, open for collaborations, open for technology innovations, bringing this kind of forward-leaning perspective.”