Indoor air quality should be on an FM’s to-do list.
By Myrna Traylor
Did you know that the average person breathes in about 2,000 gallons of air each day? Clearly, it is best for us and our families, friends and visitors that the air be as clean as possible. This applies to indoor air especially since most of us spend about 90% of each day inside. Unlike the air outdoors, indoor air can concentrate and recirculate particulates (like pollution, dust and pollen), microbes and gasses. Facilities managers (FMs) should understand how to achieve good indoor air quality (IAQ) in their properties for the health of employees and guests. Here is a quick guide that can help you formulate your own comprehensive air filtration plan.
What You’re Up Against
Many factors and conditions can affect indoor air quality. Recent large-scale environmental hazards include COVID-19 viruses and smoke from wildfires. But even small nuisances can affect people in either the short or long term.
Justin Reedy, Indoor Air Quality Expert for Ferguson HVAC, outlined some irritants and unhealthy air conditions. “When we enter a building, we want to figure out what's going on before we start making recommendations,” he said. “If you have high particulate levels, we're going to bring in more outside air, or we're going to have to improve the filtration to take the dust out. If you have a lot of people talking and exhaling in the space, your carbon dioxide (CO2) levels will potentially rise.”
Reedy said that there are clean air standards and recommendations set by a variety of entities and regulating bodies. These include local or state building codes, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the HVAC regulating body. “They define comfortable, healthy air as between 68- and 78-degrees F, and maintaining 40% to 60% relative humidity. If we're higher than 60% humidity, we start worrying about mold problems, and viruses and bacteria can survive longer in the air or colonize on surfaces to make people sick.” UV light treatment in circulated air systems can help eliminate pathogens.
Another irritant is volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can be released in cooking fumes, cleaning products or when upholstery or paints “off-gas.” “Your recent online purchase manufactured in an overseas factory using harsh chemicals can potentially add VOCs into the space,” Reedy said. “And when they aggregate, you get those long-term respiratory issues.”
Catch ’Em if You Can
The HVAC system is at the heart of your IAQ. It must balance intake of outdoor air, heating or cooling it and using proper filtration to trap impurities. As long as the motors, fans and compressors are working properly, managing or upgrading filtration can be handled by a specialist.
Wilson Meadows, General Manager with FilterPro USA, said filter changes are not only beneficial for air quality but also help keep very expensive HVAC systems running smoothly. “The air filters need to be replaced regularly to ensure proper air flow so machines are not overworked,” Meadows said, “and to make sure that contaminants are not collecting inside the machines and potentially messing up the components. The air filter change-out program increases the longevity of that capital equipment while also providing clean air to indoor environments.”
Filter changes should be part of a regular preventive maintenance schedule, Meadows said. “Indoor air quality has been thrust into the spotlight since we learned that COVID had airborne transmission. Partnering with a contractor focused primarily on filtration can offer budget-friendly filtration methods as well as industry best practices and filtration-specific expertise.” Further, reputable HVAC contractors have IAQ resources and can build a filter change into their preventive maintenance plan. “Reputable HVAC contractors have a lot on their plate, and they do it really well,” said Meadows. “In some cases, contracting a filtration-focused firm like FilterPro USA will generate more confidence in the organization’s IAQ approach. We focus entirely on the air filtration component of preventive maintenance, and we’ve found that we can help save businesses money and have a little bit more transparency.”
FMs can help top management see the value in good IAQ. “When it comes to facilities, it's about profit,” Reedy said. “We're starting to see commercial real estate that's sitting unoccupied, but if you're able to advertise that you've installed clean air products and that you have a clean air environment in your commercial property that's available for rent, not only is it more desirable to the people who are looking to rent it, you can command a higher premium.”
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