We recently came across a My FM Space blog post that noted 92 percent of organizations are working to make facilities more sustainable. The Global Facility Management Association’s Green Practices Study also revealed that 85 percent of facility managers have implemented energy efficient practices, and 74 percent have specifically adjusted operating hours of HVAC systems to do so. While energy is just one aspect of sustainability, 71 percent of those surveyed were wary of the cost associated with energy efficient initiatives.

One option facility managers on a budget have is to integrate an IAQ monitoring system with demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) into a building’s HVAC capabilities. The concept is simple – only ventilate a room or building when it’s needed. Specifically, an intelligent indoor air quality (iAQ) monitor can signal fans or ventilation systems when volatile organic compounds (VOCs) reach unhealthy levels. What’s the big deal about VOCs, you ask?  

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. Plus, high levels of VOCs can cause health problems like headaches, dizziness or nausea.

In one real-life example, our iAQ module was integrated into an air handling unit. The entire system was installed in a gymnasium to monitor the quality of the facility’s air and control the speed of the air handling unit’s fan. Before the iAQ module was installed, the air handling unit was time-controlled, so the gymnasium was ventilated even when it was unoccupied. By switching to DCV, energy consumption was reduced by a whopping 60 percent. This boost in energy efficiency can help facility managers adopt sustainability practices and keep occupants happy without breaking the bank.