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Wellbeing in buildings
Keeping healthy this winter
David Cook, technical product manager at Vent-Axia explains why it’s vital to ensure that commercial settings have eff ective ventilation and air purifi cation with the threat of COVID still looming and posing a risk to health
C
OVID fi gures from the ONS published at the beginning of December revealed the earlier fall in the number of coronavirus patients
in England had come to a halt, with an 8% rise in people with COVID being admitted to hospital. This is a stark reminder to not be complacent and the importance of preventing the spread of COVID.
Ventilation
To this end, the COVID pandemic put a spotlight on the essential role of ventilation and led to the Royal Academy of Engineering report, ‘Infection Resilient Environments: Buildings that keep us healthy and safe’. It looks at how we design, manage, and operate buildings and how we can make infrastructure more resilient to infection both now and going forward. Commissioned by the Government’s Chief Scientifi c Adviser, Patrick Vallance, and published in July 2021, the initial report highlights the importance of achieving good IAQ as well as reducing transmission of COVID and other infectious diseases, meaning many of the suggested changes have relevance well beyond COVID-19, including air cleaning. Furthermore, DEFRA’s Air Quality Expert Group
recently published a report2 on IAQ focussing on air pollutants in residential indoor environments, people’s exposure in commuting and transport hubs, retail space and sports venues, and areas with vulnerable people. This adds to the body of reports that highlight that IAQ needs to be taken seriously. In addition, the amended Part F (Means of Ventilation) of the Building Regulations further
highlights the importance of health and wellbeing. ‘Approved Document F, Volume 2: Buildings other than dwellings’ covers both new build and refurbishment and now looks to both minimise the entry of external pollutants and ensure humidity and pollutants are extracted eff ectively and effi ciently. There is also a sub section entitled ‘Indoor Air Quality Monitoring’, which states that in new buildings the occupiable rooms “should have a means of monitoring the indoor air quality. This may be achieved using CO2 monitors or other means of measuring indoor air quality.” These actions will help ensure better indoor air quality in non- residential properties. Vent-Axia has a range of CO2 sensors which can be discreetly located on a wall and can intelligently boost ventilation based on the detected CO2 levels. They can also provide a warning indication for occupants if CO2 levels rise above acceptable levels with a useful traffi c light system on the front, so occupants can activate purge ventilation when required. These sensors are designed to work in conjunction with a wide range of ventilation solutions including the Sentinel Range of demand controlled inline fans, suitable for either supply of fresh air or extracts of stale air. The inclusion of a CO2 sensor in the control provides optimal air quality control yet minimising the actual running costs of the fan.
Taking action
There are three key actions to take to improve IAQ: Reduce the number of pollutants introduced into the air; Dilute the pollutants in the air by ensuring there is adequate ventilation introducing fresh clean air into the home and buildings; and Purify by adding an air purifi er to remove the remaining pollutants from the air.
Indoor air can contain over 900 chemicals, particulates, biological materials, viruses and bacteria. Each of us breathes 9,000 litres a day with poor IAQ aff ecting the health of everyone. It is therefore vital to reduce indoor air pollution by reducing the number of pollutants put into the air. There are various solutions for diluting pollutants in the air in commercial settings. For ventilation solutions where ducting cannot be easily installed, fans such as Vent-Axia’s Lo-Carbon T-Series (below left and above centre) can provide background or purge ventilation and are easily fi tted to an existing window or through a wall. Alternatively, heat recovery demand ventilation systems off er a solution to ensure good ventilation and so improve IAQ, through the use of a range of sensors, such as CO2, PIR occupancy detection, humidity or temperature which are employed to determine the room’s air quality, adjusting the ventilation requirements automatically and managing the system’s ventilation rates accordingly. While eff ective ventilation is essential for good IAQ,
by adding extra air purifi cation workplaces, hotels and schools can help ensure that viruses and pollutants are extracted from the air creating a healthier environment and helping stop the spread of viruses. Recognising the important part air purifi cation plays in improving IAQ Vent-Axia launched the PureAir Room (above). Off ering advanced air purifi cation, the PureAir Room is ideal for a wide range of environments including hotels, offi ces, school applications or homes. Designed with an advanced 6-stage fi ltration system, the PureAir Room fi lters out mould, dust, viruses, PM2.5, VOCs, pet allergens and odours with its High Effi ciency Particulate Air (HEPA) fi lter removing 99.9% of particles. In addition, Vent-Axia is soon to launch a new commercial air purifi er, adding to its purifi er range, that will be able to meet the needs of a variety of commercial applications. With COVID still a risk and the importance of good
IAQ established, creating healthy and safe indoor environments is essential. Not only will this allow businesses to operate as usual, it will protect the health of all those using these spaces. Eff ective ventilation and air purifi cation are proven methods to achieve this.
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