Post COVID-19 Healthy Building Strategies – Why Spec Aircuity?
Why spec Aircuity? Because you can’t manage what you don’t measure! Post COVID-19 healthy building strategies are going to rely on particle measurement and control alongside of proper control of relative humidity and ventilation. All elements Aircuity monitors and controls.
We have learned the spread of airborne pathogens can be reduced by implementing better filtration practices, reducing the particulate matter virus’s cling to. Additionally, we know particulates in the sub 2.5-micron range are the most harmful due to being inhaled into our respiratory passages. Aircuity can validate particle reductions and mitigation efforts. Our particle counters can detect particulate sizes down to 0.3 microns. Measuring particle counts, both before and after the filter bank, provides the reliable data necessary for facilities management to know filtration goals are being achieved.
Relative humidity is another aspect of indoor air quality associated with RNA virus infectivity. Evidence suggest viruses survive better in low-humidity environments. Maintaining an optimal range of 40% to 60% relative humidity has been proven to significantly reduce infection rates and is the optimal level for human health. The Aircuity platform provides accurate and reliable data as it pertains to relative humidity and enthalpy. This provides an advantage to Aircuity’s economizer application, which is based on enthalpy, as opposed to dry bulb only, for providing proper humidity control.
Mandated enhanced cleaning protocols will lead to increased amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air. This is placing a greater importance on being able to perform demand control ventilation effectively. Aircuity’s centralized monitoring, true differential measurement, and use of multi-parameter demand control ventilation, can let building operators know where and when high concentrations of VOCs are occurring and adjust the ventilation to those spaces, keeping the air clean and healthy.
The ability to do all of this effectively and reliably is ensured by the Aircuity Assurance Commitment. Every 6 months, factory-trained, service technicians visit the sites and install newly calibrated sensors. During these visits we perform diagnostic testing to verify the systems integrity and observe the data points, looking for discrepancies. All this data is logged and accessible to the customer on Aircuity’s platform, MyAircuity, for graphing and trending building performance.
Pre-Covid, Aircuity may have been a “nice to have” technology for facilities other than labs and hospitals but now it’s a”must have” to ensure occupant comfort and safety. Getting ready to spec Aircuity into your next project, we encourage you to reach out to Tom Proietti (CT and Northern New England projects) or Tom Halgas (Greater Boston projects) for recommendations and best practices per application.’
For more information about Aircuity and how we can provide you with their demand control ventilation solutions contact us today at 860.291.8886 or visit us on the web. Don’t forget to follow us on social media: Twitter, LinkedIn, facebook and YouTube.
Nichole joined Flow Tech in 2013 as Director of Marketing. She leads our marketing communication initiatives including content marketing development, coordinating events and training, maintaining our digital presence and recruiting, as well as, some business development and office support. Nichole resides in Vernon with her husband Brian and two sons. She enjoys hosting parties, cooking and lounging on the beach.