When you are in charge of a commercial building, it’s incredibly important to manage your indoor air quality well, for the health and safety of everyone who works there. Harmful particles from outside can get trapped in your ventilation system, making the indoor air quality stale and musty and — occasionally — dangerous for your health. To start, that means staying on top of current indoor air quality trends.
5 Trends in Indoor Air Quality
As people learn more about indoor air quality and its effects on health, both physical and mental, improved indoor air quality is becoming more and more of a priority. That and a rise in technology has led to a number of exciting trends.
Want to keep customers, staff, and others in your facility happy by keeping your indoor air quality under control? Here are a few trends you’ll want to be aware of.
Higher Efficiency Air Filters
If you’ve looked into air filters before, you’ve likely seen the term HEPA filter, where HEPA stands for “high efficiency particulate air.” HEPA filters are the goal when it comes to air purifiers, lauded as being able to remove as much as 99.7% of harmful particles from the air, such as dust, mold, bacteria, pollen, and more. But even among HEPA filters, there can be a difference in quality.
The EPA uses the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values (MERV) to rate the performance of various HEPA filters. MERV ratings run from 1-16. The higher the MERV rating, the better the HEPA filter performs.
As we learn more about the effects of poor indoor air quality, more commercial building owners are investing in higher efficiency HEPA filters with MERV ratings that, if not 16, are at least above 10.
Increased Use of Indoor Air Quality Monitors to Monitor Indoor Pollutant Levels
It can be difficult to improve your indoor air quality in an effective way if you don’t have a finger on the pulse of your indoor air pollution. That’s what indoor air quality monitors are for, and why so many facility managers are making use of them.
These indoor air quality monitoring tools range in terms of performance and technology. For instance, some can even tell you the risk of infection — especially important in the post-COVID days — and the performance of the ventilation, as poor ventilation can be a major sign of poor indoor air quality.
Senseware’s airborne monitoring software can give you accurate readings of the air pollution in your building in real time. It will inform you of the infection risk and the effectiveness of your ventilation system, as well. It continues to monitor these areas even after you implement improvement strategies, so you always know where you stand when it comes to indoor air quality.
Custom IAQ Monitoring Solutions
Since no two buildings are identical, it's crucial to have the ability to customize your IAQ monitoring solution to meet your unique needs. That means picking exactly what data you'll be measuring. As you are deciding what sensors to incorporate into your monitoring solution you'll want to consider a number of factors like size of the space, types of filters being used, location of monitors, function of the space, location of the building, occupancy levels, and more. Senseware has a team of experts that guides you through the process and helps you identify exactly what data is most valuable to you. Most importantly, there's no need to collect data you won't utilize. We'll help you understand if you need to measure things like sub-micron Particulate Matter, Ozone, or Methane. Or our standard IAQ with Temp, Humidity, PM, CO2, and VOC might be perfect for you.
Expanded Use of Air Cleaner Solutions in Commercial Buildings
With more commercial building owners using indoor air quality monitors comes a rise in air cleaner solutions. This correlation is obvious. You become more aware of your indoor air quality issues, and that leads you to seek out solutions.
HEPA air filters and air purifiers can help to rid the air of most pollutants, making the air you breathe inside fresher and healthier. Building owners are looking for quality in air cleaners rather than just the best value, as they don’t want to miss anything when it comes to air cleaning solutions.
Emphasis on Health Building Certifications
You can establish your building as a clean and healthy facility by earning a health building certificate. These certificates prove that your facility holds up to a certain standard of cleanliness — including indoor air quality.
The most renowned health building certification is WELL, established by the Delos and International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). Air is one of the key concepts of the WELL certification, with requirements such as air filtration, smoking bans to reduce secondhand smoke inhalation, ventilation effectiveness, and more.
Other health building certifications include:
- Fitwel
- LEED Indoor Air Quality
- RESET
What Can You Do About Indoor Air Contaminants
The rest of the commercial real estate world is making big changes when it comes to indoor air contaminants. If you want to keep up with the competition, good indoor air quality is a must. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to minimize indoor air contaminants.
A great airborne monitoring system that shows you your weak points can be a boon for your commercial facility. From there, take active steps to minimize indoor air contaminants with an air purifier and the right ventilation or air filters. Senseware can help with our high-tech airborne monitoring solutions. Stay on top of the indoor air quality trends and on top of your own IAQ issues with detailed, specific reports and real time updates.
Want to learn more about how Senseware is staying on top of IAQ trends? Contact us today for more information or to schedule a demo.
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