The air inside your building matters more than ever
People spend 90% of their time indoors. The quality of that indoor air directly impacts health, cognitive performance, and productivity.
After COVID-19, building occupants expect transparency about the air they breathe. Smart building managers are responding with continuous IAQ monitoring.
Effective indoor air quality monitoring tracks several key parameters:
Why it matters: CO2 is the best indicator of ventilation effectiveness. High CO2 means stale air and inadequate fresh air exchange.
Target levels:
Impact: Studies show cognitive performance drops 15-50% as CO2 rises from 600 to 1400 ppm.
Why it matters: Tiny particles that penetrate deep into lungs. Sources include outdoor pollution, cooking, printers, and cleaning activities.
Target levels:
Impact: Long-term exposure linked to respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Short-term exposure causes irritation and reduced performance.
Why it matters: Off-gassing from furniture, cleaning products, paints, and building materials. Many are irritants or carcinogens.
Target levels:
Impact: Causes "sick building syndrome" symptoms — headaches, fatigue, eye irritation.
Why it matters: Comfort affects productivity. Humidity extremes promote mold (high) or viral transmission (low).
Target levels:
Impact: Every degree outside comfort range reduces productivity by approximately 2%.
Harvard research found that employees in well-ventilated buildings with low CO2 and VOCs scored:
For a 100-person office, even a 5% productivity improvement represents tens of thousands in annual value.
Buildings with documented IAQ monitoring and response procedures:
In competitive real estate markets:
Typical density: One sensor per 2,000-5,000 sq ft, or per distinct zone
Priority locations:
Effective IAQ programs require:
Monitoring without response is useless. Define actions for:
Basic: CO2, temperature, humidity
Advanced: Add PM2.5, VOCs, formaldehyde
Premium: Laboratory-grade accuracy, additional pollutants
Our indoor air quality monitoring solutions provide the visibility and insights you need to maintain healthy, productive indoor environments.
Nishchayjeet Singh
LinkedIn
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