2017 News

How Environmental Conditions Impact Productivity

How Environmental Conditions Impact Productivity
08.21.2017

A truly “smart” building improves occupants’ comfort, health, happiness and productivity. It extends the life of the building and everything that’s in it. Add it all up, and a smart building increases the owner’s return on investment (ROI).

“Research from multiple sources validates how much unhealthy environments limit productivity. At the same time, technology has become much more affordable. As those two things converge, we can integrate smart technologies into mechanical systems to improve certain environmental conditions. In turn, that improves people’s cognitive work and decision making skills,” says Daryld Karloff, Baker Group Executive Vice President of Building Services.

This installment in our “Smart Buildings” series examines how building automation systems (BAS) can work with your mechanical systems for improved air quality and thermal health – and contribute to your business’s profitability.

Air Quality – People who work indoors are at the mercy of the air quality for many hours every working day. Indoor air quality impacts building occupant’s health, absenteeism, cognitive function and productivity. Poor air quality is commonly linked to asthma, allergies, bronchitis and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD).  “Sick-building syndrome” is the term for a building with poor indoor air quality. The most concerning indoor pollutants – and ways to minimize them – include:

  • Carbon monoxide (CO) is an odorless poisonous gas produced by fossil fuel-burning systems such as boilers, roof top units, furnaces and water heaters. Exhaust from this equipment must be properly vented to the outdoors. Every year, thousands of people are killed from carbon monoxide inhalation while they sleep in their home. At low doses, flu-like symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, upset stomachs and confusion are common. Heat exchangers and venting should be regularly inspected. 
  • Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a gas produced by people. As we breathe, we take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Too much CO2 leaves people lethargic and cognitive work quality decreases. Therefore, building ventilation systems are designed to bring in fresh outdoor air to minimize the accumulation of CO2 in a facility. “Nobody wants a building full of people working slowly and making bad decisions,” quips Karloff.  The key is to efficiently match the amount of fresh air with the quantity of people in building spaces. 

Jarod Stockel, P.E., Baker Group’s Automation Business Unit Leader, adds, “We can incorporate demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) into the HVAC system, and monitor the level of CO2 in building spaces using sensors. When levels are rising, this automated system adjusts the amount of outdoor ventilation that is pulled indoors to assure that CO2 in the air does not reach unhealthy levels.” 

  • Particulate matter includes tiny molecules of dust, pollen, soot, smoke, liquids, etc., that suspend in the air. When inhaled, particulate matter can cause respiratory, heart and lung problems, and even premature death in vulnerable individuals.

The best way to combat particulate matter is to have proper mechanical filtration systems in your air-handling equipment,” Stockel says. “BAS can monitor the health of those filters and alert maintenance staff when they are nearing the time to be replaced.” 

  • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gases emitted from thousands of different building materials, consumer products, personal care products, furniture and other products. VOCs are commonly given off by copy machines, printers and new plastics that are brought into the workplace. VOCs can contribute to numerous health problems, ranging from simple eye, nose, throat and skin irritation, to serious damage to the liver, kidney and central nervous system.

“BAS can measure VOC levels during new construction, the commissioning processes and occupied building operation. At any time if VOCs are too high, the BAS commands the HVAC system to bring in added volume of outdoor air and ‘flush’ the VOCs from the building with clean outside air,” Stockel says.

Thermal Health – This term, coined by researchers at Harvard University[1], is much broader than “thermal comfort,” which focuses on achieving a comfortable temperature for roughly 80 percent of a building’s occupants.

Harvard’s researchers say this term is needed because temperature, ventilation and humidity all contribute to sick-building syndrome symptoms in occupants (itchy/watery eyes, headaches, throat irritation, respiratory symptoms, fatigue, etc.), impact employees’ ability to perform tasks and contribute to mold, mildew and bacterial growth.

For these reasons, more and more businesses are integrating BAS to monitor and regulate temperature as well as ventilation and humidity. Stockel says smart building technologies:

  • Control air temperature;
  • Monitor air quality and humidity levels in work spaces;
  • Remove excess moisture from the air before it’s introduced to the space or, in dry buildings, add appropriate levels of humidity to the air;
  • Properly ventilate all occupied work spaces;
  • Ensure proper building pressurization, which controls the quantity and quality of air coming in from the outdoors through uncontrolled building envelope paths.

“Some of these systems require a great deal of design and engineering expertise, while others are relatively simple. All can be incorporated in new construction or existing buildings, as long as the mechanical systems can support them,” Stockel adds. “Baker Group can assess your existing systems, and develop a plan to improve your air quality and your people’s productivity.”

You may also want to read “Why Smart Buildings Should Be About More Than Technology” and “Use Ventilation and Lighting to Improve Productivity.”

[1] http://research.forhealth.org/Harvard.Building_Evidence_for_Health.the_9_Foundations.pdf

About Baker Group

Founded in 1963 and with more than 500 employees across Iowa, Baker Group is the Midwest’s premier full-service specialty contractor providing mechanical, sheet metal, electrical, building automation, process automation, security systems, fire alarm systems, parking/revenue controls and 24/7/365 service.

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