#WorldVentil8Day was created by a coalition of scientists, academics, and engineering bodies to promote building ventilation that supports health, well-being and productivity. Here, Nathan Wood explains the campaign.
The first annual World Ventila8 Day offers an opportunity to highlight the crucial role of ventilating our homes and buildings, especially as we head into colder months.
Faced with a cost-of-living crisis and soaring energy prices we could be facing a new health emergency from poor indoor air. With people and business struggling to afford heating and electricity bills, we fear people will switch off ventilation systems, tape over window trickle vents and seal up what have traditionally been leaky or breezy buildings.
Whilst this offers some reassurance the valuable heat will remain in the property for longer, so many other things could result – like condensation and damp which leads to mould, gasses from fires or cooking, and generally a poor indoor environment injurious to health.
Sick building syndrome
Simple changes in the way a building had traditionally “breathed”, via window airing or mechanical ventilation fans, can have huge impacts on our health, from respiratory issues to headaches and something we used to call sick or sad building syndrome.
That 2pm slump in the office where you feel tired may not be because you’ve had a late night, worked really hard or just want a nap after eating lunch, it could be that you’re not getting enough oxygen intake and CO2 levels are elevated in the space making you sleepy and less focussed. Usually these are the rooms that people call “stuffy”.
How does this happen? Well, we all need to breathe, and our bodies need a good supply of oxygen – in the act of breathing, we exhale waste air such as CO2. A poorly ventilated office or space with no supply of outside air from windows or mechanical ventilation can result in an increase of CO2. Think of it as secondhand or used air, breathed out by people and re-breathed again by others – sounds gross, right?
This is why a lack of new or what some call fresh air into a building with the presence of people can lead to an increase in CO2, which is why CO2 is used as an indicator for how well a space is ventilated or at risk of contracting and airborne virus.
By opening a window and internal doors for just a short period you can renew the air within a building and reduce the CO2 concentrations. Whilst this might be counterintuitive as you want to be warm, a short blast of outside air won’t have huge cost implications for your heating bill.
That said – let’s not assume all outside air is “fresh”.
What counts as “fresh” air?
Depending on the location of your home or building you may want to consider the time of day you air your building or from what side of the building.
If you’re near a busy road certainly don’t choose a window closest to the road during rush hour.
It’s worth highlighting that opening a window doesn’t guarantee air will pass into or out of a room or building, especially on a still day, which is why it’s best to open a window on either side of a building and ensure internal doors are open for the best possible effect.
If you are lucky enough to have a mechanical ventilation system, please ensure they’re well maintained, in good working condition and used correctly. Think of them as the mechanical lungs of your building.
Air quality monitor
But all this talk of ventilation and clean air how can you tell if the air is bad or has high CO2 levels?
It’s well worth investing in an air quality monitor, even the cheap ones are pretty good these days and offer an indication of the inside air quality. The more expensive ones can connect with your smart devices and have smart phone apps or dashboards with logged data so you can get geeky with all the data and squiggly lines.
The next step would be to conduct an IAQ assessment and there are many reputable companies offering these services. I’d recommend you check they are affiliated with an industry body and not just a salesperson trying to sell you a silver bullet solution.
The benefits of having good indoor air via ventilation methods far outweigh any negatives and when used correctly can offer good energy savings.
Systems which use heat recovery – MVHR – can offer good savings on energy bills, by recovering the heat from extracted air and using it to temper the incoming air.
If we do spend 90% of our time indoors, isn’t it right to ensure the air is safe to breathe?
How does your building measure up?
So, how good is the ventilation in your building?
Still unsure – then check out our campaign where we will showcase powerful scientific and practical evidence demonstrating how good ventilation can reduce exposure to pollutants and infectious diseases, which aids human productivity, improves sleep and reduces mould and damp in buildings.
As well as showcasing the range of ventilation solutions available to building owners and occupiers, World Ventilation Day will recognise the skilled people who implement the measures and strategies used to make buildings healthier and safer – highlighting the need for training and recruiting more skilled people to take on this growing global task.
For more info visit: worldventil8day.com
Nathan Wood is Managing Director of Ventilation & IAQ Specialists Farmwood M&E Ltd, Chairman of the BESA Health and Well-being in Buildings Group as well as Chair of the GCP Europe Indoor Environmental Quality Task Force.
