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February 11th, 2010
We recently came across some pretty useful information on the Flagler Organics blog. Their “Cost of an Unheathy Office” post states that:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that: – medical care for major illnesses resulting from indoor air pollution cost more than $1 billion annually – lost productivity from those illnesses cost between $4.7 and $5.4 billion each year – lost productivity and increased sick leave time as a result of indoor-air-quality-related illnesses costs as high as $60 billion per year
We also found the same (uncited) information here and here. After scouring the EPA website, calling around and Googling away, we still can’t find the exact source of these EPA stats. Could you please help us out by letting us know if you’ve found the source?
Thanks in advance!
Tags: EPA, health, iAQ, productivity
Posted in Lend a Hand, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Reducing Facility Maintenance Costs | No Comments »
February 3rd, 2010
AHR Expo, the show for HVAC&R industry professionals, saw a lot of traffic, especially for the first couple of days. Everywhere you turned, people were discussing air quality and VOCs. Since both are becoming such an issue, “source control” was a buzz word uttered by many attendants and exhibitors. Specifically, the term was referred to as a way to minimize the sources of VOCs, particularly in building materials, furnishings and coatings. Since these VOCs are toxic, ventilation rates need to account for their presence. Building automation was also a common theme at the show, as systems integrators brought forth new products to improve connectivity and efficiency in building operations. One such product was the IEQ monitor from BAPI, which is able to sense VOCs. Home automation was another popular theme, including zone control and smart appliances. Web-based devices are also arising within the industry for energy efficiency and at-home monitoring so that power usage may be tracked while residents are away from home.
Tags: iAQ, Source Control, VOCs
Posted in Improving Energy Efficiency, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Trade Show Recaps, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | No Comments »
January 8th, 2010
Ever been to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas? It’s one of the world’s largest, with 2,700 exhibitors unveiling 20,000 new products. This year, saving energy is all the rage. New home automation products and services are everywhere. There are products to monitor your utilities and appliances remotely. Web-accessible systems to control your lights and HVAC from wherever you happen to be when you remember you didn’t shut them off. And plenty of gadgets, like monitors that plug into household outlets so you can track energy usage in every room.
Another way to reduce energy costs is to control bathroom fans so that they run only when needed. If you’ve got a just a couple of bathrooms, that might not save you much. But if you’re a facilities manager paying utility bill for fans running in hundreds of bathrooms, the savings can be quite significant. Fortunately, AppliedSensor’s VOC sensors are better at controlling bathroom fans than motion detectors or light detectors. If you’re interested in learning more about how VOC detection saves energy in homes and offices, you don’t need to fight the crowds in Vegas. Just give us a call.
Tags: VOCs
Posted in Improving Energy Efficiency, Reducing Facility Maintenance Costs, Trade Show Recaps | 1 Comment »
January 8th, 2010
“While facility owners and managers may recognize the importance of IAQ, they often do not appreciate how routine design, construction, and operation decisions can result in IAQ problems. Additionally, they may assume that achieving a high level of IAQ is associated with premium costs and novel or even risky technical solutions. In other cases, they may employ individual measures thought to provide good IAQ, such as increased outdoor air ventilation rates or specification of lower emitting materials, without a sound understanding of the actual impacts of these measures or a systematic assessment of IAQ priorities,” says Andrew Persily, PhD and ASHRAE Fellow in his article in Today’s Facility Manager (November 2009 ).(http://www.todaysfacilitymanager.com/articles/iaq-trends-clearing-the-indoor-air-on-improving-iaq.php)
Just in time, ASHRAE’s published a new Indoor Air Quality Guide on best practices for design, construction, and commissioning. You can download a free summary from the ASHRAE website or buy a full summary for $29. The Guide starts shipping this month. (http://www.ashrae.org/publications/page/1936)
Tags: iAQ
Posted in Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Uncategorized | No Comments »
November 14th, 2009
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. For many people, that means loading up on turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes — not to mention the pumpkin pie. For those of you looking to get a head start on your coming new year’s resolutions, joining a gym seems like the perfect option. But before you sign up for another six-month contract, consider the air around you.
Think about it: You’re going to a gym because you want to be healthy. Well, people often breathe in an unhealthy amount of chemicals called volatile organic compounds (VOCs) while in a fitness club. Sweating is a big factor. Pretty ironic. Take a look at this chart of chemical groups that can be found in indoor air. These gases can be released into a facility’s air from building materials, exercise equipment and human metabolism (i.e. sweating).
Talk to your gym staff and make sure they have some kind of indoor air quality module. Your lungs will thank you.
Tags: health and fitness, iAQ, VOCs
Posted in Monitoring Indoor Air Quality | 3 Comments »
November 2nd, 2009
Have you ever walked into a room only to be met with an overpowering scent wafting through the air? Not only can odors affect how you perceive your surroundings, they play a role in your productivity, performance, mood and even your health. A room’s occupants judge the quality of the air not just by how it feels (temperature and humidity), but also by how it smells. Unfortunately, odors in offices, kitchens, gymnasiums and restrooms, for example, do not alter CO2 levels measured by most indoor air quality monitors.
As indoor air quality monitoring technology has become more sophisticated, it is now possible to detect the presence of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) such as acetone, heptane and many other metabolic products in human breath in addition to formaldehyde, cooking odors, human bio-effluents, outdoor pollutants, paints and lacquers, cleaning supplies, and toxins. Here’s a quick list of VOCs and their sources:
| Figure 1 – Examples of VOCs and Sources Substance Group |
Example |
Sources |
| Alcohols |
alcohol, mineral spirits |
cleaning supplies |
| Aldehydes |
formaldehyde |
building materials |
| Ketones |
butanone |
Paints |
| Esters |
methyl acetate |
Glues |
| Terpenes |
pinene |
Glues |
| Aromatics |
xylol |
paints and glues |
| Alkanes |
heptane |
human breath |
While today’s building owners and managers are diligent about reducing energy costs and utilizing sustainable materials, they often overlook the quality of the facility’s indoor air. Considering that contaminated air not only poses health risks to occupants, but also lowers productivity and comfort, indoor air monitors capable of detecting the presence of harmful VOCs are becoming more prevalent.
Some indoor air monitors use motion, light and heat detectors to signal the operation of ventilation systems. While those monitors may help maintain optimum temperatures, they cannot detect the odor of a tuna sandwich left in a desk drawer over the weekend, or cigarette smoke in someone’s clothes, etc. By detecting odors and other pollutants, VOC sensors optimize proper ventilation to ensure the highest air quality for occupants and reduce utility costs for building owners.
Over a period of several years, AppliedSensor monitored the performance of indoor air quality sensors installed in various locations including offices, cafeterias, schools, production facilities, apartments and homes. In one installation, an iAQ module is integrated in the air handling unit in a gymnasium to monitor the quality of the facility’s air and control the speed of the air handling unit’s fan. Want to know what happened after switching to demand-controlled ventilation? We’ll give you a hint – it affected both energy consumption and operating time. Here are the details.
Tags: CO2, iAQ, VOCs
Posted in Improving Energy Efficiency, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Reducing Facility Maintenance Costs | 5 Comments »
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