February 1st, 2012
By AppliedSensor Inc. CEO Tom Aiken
 We had a blast at the 2012 AHR Expo last week, which hosted more than 50,000 attendees from 120 countries. While at Chicago’s McCormick Place Convention Center, I walked the two expansive exhibit halls with an eye toward sensor technology. The air quality in commercial buildings was top of mind for many exhibitors, including Building Automation Products (BAPI) and Honeywell. Specifically, Honeywell’s press conference – “Achieving energy savings using triple Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) monitoring, on-demand ventilation and touchscreen operation” led by Honeywell Senior Product Manager Donald Olson centered around its new wall- and duct-mount IAQPoint2.
There was a lot of buzz about VOC detection in the building controls sector, including building material off-gassing and room occupancy. The industry is finally recognizing that CO2 alone doesn’t accurately define room air quality, and that volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can affect an occupant’s comfort and overall health. AppliedSensor has supported this school of thought for years. In fact, our tagline is “Intelligent air quality…beyond CO2”
Traditionally, the climate control industry used three variables to define indoor air quality: temperature, humidity and CO2. Many of this year’s AHR Expo exhibitors recognized that VOCs such as smoke, cooking odors, bio-effluence and outdoor pollutants also impact IAQ. Considering that most air quality sensors with the ability to detect VOCs use Metal Oxide Semiconductor (MOS) technology, and that AppliedSensor is the MOS sensor expert, we’re looking forward to a good year.
How about you? Is IAQ an important consideration in commercial buildings you frequent? Do you know what variables are used to determine indoor air quality in your building?
Posted in Home Automation, Improving Energy Efficiency, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Reducing Facility Maintenance Costs, Trade Show Recaps, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | Comments Off
January 13th, 2012
by AppliedSensor, Inc. CEO Tom Aiken
 The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada was a record breaker for attendance with more than 3,000 exhibitors and 150,000 attendees. Among the crowds, I noticed several exhibits dedicated to home health monitoring – with an exceptionally strong presence for blood pressure, glucose level and cardiac condition devices. Such is the digital age of wireless communication.
Most of these manufacturers view air quality as a major factor in overall health. In fact, monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is currently under consideration by many. If VOCs trigger breathing difficulties in your home, or even in your car, we have a series of Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) sensors to track levels of these potentially harmful compounds.
Another hot topic at CES was micro-electronic mechanical systems, or MEMS. An event hosted by the MEMS Industry Group delved into the capabilities of MEMS in mobility, user interface control and multiband mobile phone design. “Connecting the Real World with the Digital World: Harnessing the Power of MEMS” featured a panel of both large and small MEMS manufacturers. The panelists noted that cost, size and power consumption have hindered the broad integration of sensors in consumer products. While the capabilities of sensors to meet practical needs has been proven in automotive applications, it was the advent of smart phones that brought high-volume implementation of MEMS devices to new levels and negated the prior barriers to use.
Speaking of smart phones, there are currently an estimated 9,000 iPhone apps dedicated just to health. One panelist said, “Healthcare is huge. Navigation, interconnectivity for automotive and home automation are big. Connectivity is nothing without information.” As a MEMS manufacturer, AppliedSensor is responding to the demands of mobility in consumer product sensor development with micro-machined MOS sensors that operate on very low power, are miniaturized to less than 2 mm x 2 mm and are made in the very high volumes required for adaption into consumer products.
Did you attend CES? What were the highlights of your experience?
Tags: health, iAQ, Trade Show, VOCs
Posted in Health and Safety, Home Automation, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Trade Show Recaps, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | No Comments »
December 23rd, 2011
 Are you going home for the Holidays this year? That’s one privilege an estimated 100 million homeless people around the world don’t have. Habitat for Humanity (HfH) has diligently worked to solve this crisis for nearly four decades. Its volunteers helped build more than 500,000 decent, affordable houses and served more than two million people around the world. In this same spirit, we’re using our technology to ensure some of the latest HfH homes circulate clean, healthy air.
Efficiency Vermont, an organization that helps Vermont residents reduce energy costs, strengthen the economy, and protect the environment, recently installed our iAQ-engine in three HfH homes. The indoor air quality (IAQ) module detects potentially harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). A computer screen in the kitchen displays real-time changes to indoor air quality and indicates what ventilation is needed for optimal comfort and health. So in addition to ensuring residents have clean air to breathe, our iAQ-engine also helps save energy.
In fact, one of the three houses is the first HfH Passive House internationally and the first modular Passive House in North America. If you haven’t heard of the Passive House model, you will soon – it’s gaining momentum in the U.S. Passive Houses must meet the highest international energy standard by reducing heating energy consumption 90 percent and achieving an overall energy savings of 60-70 percent.
Working with Efficiency Vermont to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness is a mission dear to our hearts. To learn more about what you can do to help, visit HfH’s Support page. And for additional ways to give back in 2012, websites like CharityNavigator.org can help you decide which cause best fits your mission.
Happy Holidays from all of us at AppliedSensor.
Posted in Health and Safety, Home Automation, Improving Energy Efficiency, Lend a Hand, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | Comments Off
November 30th, 2011
Contributed by Ty Newell, PhD, PE and Vice President, Newell Instruments
Over 300 people attended HUD’s Office of Native American Programs “Greener Homes Summit” in Denver Colorado earlier this fall. I was invited to lead a design workshop on zero energy housing fundamentals. Workshop participants learned how to use Newell Instruments’ ZEROs (Zero Energy Residence Optimization software), which emphasizes the importance of active, fresh air ventilation in low energy homes. Participants also learned about the CERV (Conditioning Energy Recovery Ventilator), our residential fresh air conditioning system that incorporates AppliedSensor’s IAQ-2000 into its controls for efficient demand control ventilation.
Underscoring the importance of indoor air quality were other conference participants. Jed Harrison, an EPA Tribal Advisor, stated that asthma affects 12% of the people in Tribal communities compared to 7% of the overall US population. Troy Ritter, a public health worker in the Yukon Delta, stated that asthma and other respiratory illnesses impact 50% of the youth in his region. Northern climate residences typically have no provision for fresh air ventilation, and when coupled with indoor combustion sources for cooking and heat, extremely unhealthy conditions persist throughout the winter.
It is clear that our indoor environment can make us very sick. As we move forward to improve energy efficiency of our homes, we must do so without sacrificing the quality of the air we breathe.
Posted in Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Trade Show Recaps | Comments Off
October 18th, 2011
Contributed by AppliedSensor GmbH Scientist Simone Herberger
More than 160 people in research and industry from all over the world attended the 32nd annual Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC) Conference (and the first TightVent Conference) this month in Brussels, Belgium. The need for demand controlled ventilation was one of the leading topics of the conference. There was great interest in the technical session entitled “DCV and Sensor Technology” and a lot of positive feedback from the audience after AppliedSensor’s presentation “Energy-Efficient Demand-Controlled Ventilation Using Micromachined Metal Oxide Semiconductor Gas Sensor Technology.” In the closing session, AppliedSensor’s “Beyond CO2” approach was highlighted as the way forward in sensor technology for DCV systems in energy-efficient, high-performing buildings. It was mentioned that CO2 is no longer the only solution – reliable VOC detection is needed for ventilation control in buildings.
Posted in Improving Energy Efficiency, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Reducing Facility Maintenance Costs, Trade Show Recaps, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | Comments Off
September 30th, 2011
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released an accumulation of air quality data from approximately 1,100 cities across 91 countries. From this data, WHO estimated that “more than 2 million people die every year from breathing in tiny particles present in indoor and outdoor air pollution.” These particles can infiltrate our lungs, and cause heart disease, lung cancer, asthma and acute lower respiratory infections. WHO also reports:
- Persistently elevated levels of fine particle pollution are common across many urban areas. Fine particle pollution often originates from combustion sources such as power plants and motor vehicles.
- The great majority of urban populations have an average annual exposure to PM10 particles in excess of the WHO Air Quality guideline recommended maximum level of 20 µg/m3. On average, only a few cities currently meet the WHO guideline values.
- For 2008, the estimated mortality attributable to outdoor air pollution in cities amounts to 1.34 million premature deaths. If the WHO guidelines had been universally met, an estimated 1.09 million deaths could have been prevented in 2008. The number of deaths attributable to air pollution in cities has increased from the previous estimation of 1.15 million deaths in 2004. The increase in the mortality estimated to be attributable to urban air pollution is linked to recent increases in air pollution concentrations and in urban population size, as well as improved data availability and methods employed.
These statistics are even more alarming considering that indoor air is often more contaminated than outdoor air in a big city. WHO is on a mission to monitor and manage global environmental conditions. Regionally, the best thing a city can do is track air quality trends and intervene in the production of harmful pollution. The largest sources of poor urban and rural air quality include motor vehicles, manufacturing facilities and biomass/coal /wood burning. What is your city doing to curb pollution?
Tags: iAQ, pollution
Posted in Health and Safety, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off
September 12th, 2011
Energy-efficiency is quite the buzzword these days. We use it. Our peers use it. Your grandfather probably uses it. Not only is saving energy easy on the environment and your wallet, it’s become the cool thing to do – and nothing demonstrates this more accurately than Equinox House. This “net zero residence” is known for its ability to consume the same amount of energy as it produces. Talk about innovative. A recent series of ASHRAE Journal articles divulge all the details – including how the home’s Conditioning Energy Recovery Ventilator (CERV) helps improve indoor air quality while saving energy. In fact, it’s AppliedSensor’s iAQ-100 that’s installed in the CERV to detect and remove a broad range of potentially harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Due to Equinox House’s energy-efficient structure and furnishings, all VOCs in the home are emitted from humans. When VOCs are minimized in the home, the module instructs the system to decrease ventilation, in turn improving energy efficiency and lowering utility costs. Data gathered by Newell Instruments shows a consistent correlation of VOC-to-CO2 levels. Plus, overall results indicate optimal indoor air quality and quick recovery from episodes involving higher levels of VOCs. And when the home is unoccupied, human-generated VOCs evaporate or dissipate within a day, leaving indoor air at a quality level comparable to fresh outdoor air.
Even though the iAQ-100 is primarily used in commercial facilities, this is its debut installation in a sustainable, solar home. What’s more interesting is that Newell Instruments Vice President Ben Newell and his wife have lived comfortably in Equinox House for more than a year. Ben said that the iAQ-100 “has certainly helped Newell Instruments understand how human activity correlates with CO2 and VOC levels – and how to implement these findings with a demand-controlled ventilation algorithm.” More information about Equinox House is available at www.newellinstruments.com/equinox.
Tags: CO2, Demand-Controlled Ventilation (DCV), energy, energy efficiency, health, home, iAQ, VOCs
Posted in Home Automation, Improving Energy Efficiency, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | Comments Off
July 30th, 2011
 If you work in an office, you may have heard about “Sick Building Syndrome.” Sounds a little outlandish, right? A building getting sick? But it’s no joke. A recent CBS news segment reported that a lack of fresh air in office buildings may lead to employee health problems. Mark Mendell, California Department of Health, said, “There are hundreds – if not thousands – of chemicals in offices.” The news clip also explains that increasing ventilation rates would have a significant impact on indoor air quality, according to a study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Sick Building Syndrome is a term used to describe what happens when a facility’s indoor environmental conditions are less than stellar. For example, the air in poorly ventilated buildings often contains high levels of volatile organic compounds – emissions from furniture, carpet, paint, cleaning products and other materials. When VOCs build up in the air, occupants can experience headaches, coughing, respiratory infections, and more. If these symptoms subside after occupants leave the building, reoccur when they return, and are experienced by numerous occupants, it’s a good bet the building is sick. It won’t be long before the facilities manager will have to address those complaints.
Think about it. Most of us spend a ton of time indoors – 70 to 90 percent of our day, in fact. Maybe your job really is giving you a headache. So what are you going to do to ensure the air you and your colleagues breathe is clean?
Tags: health, iAQ, VOCs
Posted in Health and Safety, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | Comments Off
June 21st, 2011
It’s the first day of summer and that means it’s almost time for the Formula Student racing competition in the United Kingdom. We’re providing Greenchoice Forze — the Hydrogen Racing Team of the Delft University of Technology — with an HLS-440 hydrogen leak sensor for their Forze IV racing formula car. Unlike the hydrogen karts the team previously built, this formula vehicle now features a 28 liter tank in which hydrogen is stored at a pressure of 350 bars. When the driver puts the pedal to the metal, the motors subtract their energy from specialized Boostcaps®.
Set to compete against 15 teams, the Forze IV is the only hydrogen-fueled vehicle in its alternative 1A class. Batteries and bio-fuels begone! Our money’s on the hydrogen. Ahem…joking of course. But one thing is for sure – our sensor will ensure that the Forze IV’s hydrogen concentration levels are kept under four percent. Thanks to Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor and Field Effect technologies, major automakers like BMW and General Motors have relied on AppliedSensor to keep their fuel cell systems safe.
Whether it’s under the hood or inside the trunk, reliable hydrogen sensors will always ensure there is no cross detection for HC, H2S, NH3, CO, CO2 or NOx. Besides a promising outlook on energy efficiency, hydrogen also offers zero emissions. With a top speed of more than 120 kilometers per hour (km/h) and the ability to reach zero to 100 km/h in less than five seconds, the Forze IV is going to make the other karts work to keep up. May the best cart win.
Tags: energy, energy efficiency, Field Effect Technology, Hydrogen, Safety, Trade Show
Posted in Future Hydrogen Economy, Health and Safety, Improving Energy Efficiency, Upcoming Events | Comments Off
June 21st, 2011
by Heiko Ulmer, director of marketing and sales
Greetings from Trondheim, Norway. We’re here for Roomvent 2011, where I’ve just finished leading a technical session on demand-controlled ventilation.
Officially known as the “12th international conference on air distribution in rooms,” the event has been a great opportunity to mingle with some of the top researchers and HVAC companies in Scandinavia, Europe and Asia. We’ve received a lot of positive feedback from the audience after the presentation, especially regarding AppliedSensor’s innovative “beyond CO2” approach. Several attendees have commented on the need for reliable, energy-efficient VOC detection, and we’re thrilled to be able to provide this. Tomorrow will hold another set of interesting sessions like “Ventilation strategies for large rooms in historic build,” and “Occupant’s behavior related to air motions and air exchange.” Here’s to another great day at Roomvent 2011!
Tags: CO2, Demand-Controlled Ventilation (DCV), energy, energy efficiency, iAQ, Trade Show, VOCs
Posted in Improving Energy Efficiency, Monitoring Indoor Air Quality, Reducing Facility Maintenance Costs, Trade Show Recaps, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) | Comments Off
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