According to a recent New York Times article, the cost of Indoor Air Quality is on the rise. Although the cost of building maintenance decreased during the pandemic as millions began working from home, workers returning to the office bring concerns informed by the past two years.
“Because the coronavirus is spread through airborne transmission, one of the most significant changes in building operation has been a focus on air quality,” writes author, Julie Weed.
“Many companies are scrutinizing their ventilation, which could involve installing more robust air filters to screen out virus particles… or replacing the building’s air more frequently. Water and electricity use may be lower than usual, but even with fewer people in the building, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems costs have probably increased.”
Generally, increased air filtration and ventilation are both great ways to improve indoor air quality. In the long run, however, the only way for building owners to ensure indoor air quality is to continuously monitor.
Antrum’s centralized IAQ monitoring technology allows you to set targets, control to the target, and monitor the performance of your IAQ strategies, all of which is critical for safe and healthy indoor spaces. Antrum not only allows you to define your own setpoints, but integrates with your BMS on a cloud-based scalable platform that generates user-friendly reports.
Centralized means accessible and accurate for the life of the building. AntrumX’s centralized IAQ monitoring uses just 6% of the sensors found in traditional systems, which employ one space-mounted sensor for every monitored space. Traditional systems are difficult to maintain and vary wildly in accuracy.
Centralizing the sensors in an easily accessible mechanical room allows for more efficient maintenance and calibration, guaranteeing more accurate, consistent, and cost-effective IAQ data.
Continuously monitoring the performance of your IAQ strategies also allows you to ventilate your building efficiently. Once you Know Your Air, you can avoid over-ventilating while ensuring indoor air quality, which in addition to being cost-effective contributes to the building’s sustainability.
“If you don’t spend money on upgrading your ventilation, you might be spending it on sick people,” said Nellie Brown, a health and safety specialist from Cornell University interviewed in the New York Times article.
Going forward from 2022, the importance of indoor air quality will only become more of a point of emphasis for everyone from public health officials to mechanical engineers, building owners to building occupants. Whatever your building’s air quality strategies, only continuous IAQ monitoring allows you to Know Your Air — ensuring the health and safety of everyone inside.