Why does indoor air become so polluted?

Poor ventilation is one of the main contributors to excessive Co2 in enclosed spaces, coupled with contaminants from printers or building materials that emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s). People inhabiting and passing through the space introduce microbes. These contaminants build up and if they are not controlled by treated fresh air, filtration and UV air treatment the occupants have reduced productivity and become sick.

Air quality testing sounds expensive. Do I have to have this done?

No not always. It is best to have a professional inspect the system and provide an opinion on whether this is necessary and what the benefits are. It some instances air quality testing may be required to verify a claim.

Is UV air treatment really necessary in an office environment? I thought it would only be used in medical applications?

Every indoor environment and its occupants can benefit from UV treatment if the correct dosage is applied and it is installed correctly. The dosage for non-medical applications such as offices is typically a lot lower but its benefits in both applications have been well tested and documented.

Will filters remove all germs/pollutants? How do I know how often I should replace or clean my filters?

It depends on what filters have been used and what flow rates are being applied to them. Often very coarse filters are used to minimise the amount of service visits required in the short term but the downside is the implications on the plant and the occupants are always far more expensive that using high efficiency filtration. Higher efficiency filters will catch far more airborne particles and they can be configured to minimise the maintenance interval.

I don’t fully understand how HRV/ERV systems work. Can you explain in more detail? And why are they used?

Introducing fresh air from outside has long been used as an effective way to reduce indoor contaminants but bringing this fresh air in and conditioning it to human comfort conditions requires a lot of energy so HRV and ERV systems have been developed to achieve the same result but by requiring a fraction of the energy. They use special heat exchanger technology to conditioning the incoming fresh air with the outgoing exhaust air and reclaim the energy from the air.

How do I know/determine what is best practise?

Best practise is a combination of Australian standards, regulations and industry guidelines that have been developed over time from rectifying unsatisfactory indoor environments. If the occupants have a lot of sick days, the HVAC plant is noisy, expensive to operate or not maintained it is very likely that your system does not meet best practise.

How can I know that my operating costs are going to be lowered? How can I monitor/measure this?

The best way to determine this is carry out an energy audit. There are three levels of energy audit, 1, 2 and 3. The higher the level the more detail the auditor include. For example a level three audit would include the fitment of metering to log the usage in different areas of the site to determine the usage and report on it. The level of audit is often determined by the dollar value of the annual energy costs and the amount of information and knowledge the building manager possesses.

Why doesn’t my system comply with Australian standards?

Many systems that are installed do not comply with the relevant Australian standards nor are they independently checked post installation. In some cases the standards have changed over time this meaning they do not comply however these are the minority. The other main contributing factor is maintenance related compliance which is a legal requirement.

Will I have to change more than one thing with my system?
Not always but often there is more than one contributing factor to indoor air quality. Some issues can have a flow on effect for example a lack of maintenance leads to poor indoor air quality and higher energy and repair costs.