FMJ.CO.UK HVAC FOCUS
FEBRUARY 2019 43
Breath of life
wellbeing and productivity by preventing bacteria and
viruses (which are o¡ en PM1 in size) from spreading
through the ventilation system.
Historically, there have been a number of air
filter testing standards. In the US ASHRAE 52.2 has
been dominant, and in Europe EN779 has been the
leading standard. In Asia, a combination of these
has been common, supplemented by an array of
local standards. Now a new standard – ISO 16980 –
represents a significant harmonisation of global air
filter testing and classification.
There are many benefits to ISO 16890. For example,
it is written into the standard that air filters will
improve IAQ and benefit human health. Filter
e€ iciency and the classification system relate to realworld
air pollution, and the standard is applicable
globally, helping to eliminate confusion – particularly
in contracts spanning several countries.
Under ISO 16890, filter performance is measured
and recorded against three particle sizes – PM10,
PM2.5 and PM1. Once these measurements are
obtained, the filter can be placed into one of four
classifications – e (meaning e€ iciency) PM1-rated
filters; ePM2.5; ePM10 and, for low-performing filters,
there is a ‘coarse’ category.
RULES AND REGULATIONS
In 2018, a Clean Air Bill was introduced in the House of Lords by Baroness Jenny Jones, a Green Party
peer. Drafted in collaboration with Clean Air London, the bill aims to enshrine the right to breathe
clean air into UK law. If passed, the bill – which covers both outdoor and indoor air pollution – will
enable people and communities to defend their right to clean air in the courts, forcing councils,
corporations and government bodies to take air quality seriously.
ISO 16890 is the new global air filtration standard that allows filters to be categorised on the basis of
how efficiently they perform against PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 particle sizes.
ISO 10121-2 is the molecular filter test standard. It aims to provide an objective way to estimate the
performance of any full-size gas filtration device for general filtration. ISO 10121 prescribes methods,
test equipment, data interpretation and reporting for gas-phase air cleaning devices intended for the
removal of gas-phase contamination from air in general ventilation applications.
Installing an o ice slide and pingpong
table, replacing chairs with
beanbags and upgrading the co ee
machine are some of the more
widely reported methods that UK
businesses are using to encourage
their teams to be happier and more
productive at work. Of course, all
have value, in their own unique
ways, but businesses should also
look at more practical ways of
boosting productivity.
It is time for a fresh approach.
We all instinctively know that poor
o ice conditions lead to dissatisfied,
unproductive and unwell building
occupants. Until recently, the
correlation between the quality of
indoor environmental conditions
and worker productivity had only
been studied in the laboratory, not
in real-life working conditions. This
meant that the true e ect of the
likes of noise, humidity, light and
carbon dioxide on British workers
had never been fully explored.
According to the latest O ice
for National Statistics report,
measured between July and
September 2018, productivity only
increased by 0.2 per cent in the
UK compared to the year before.
Solving the productivity puzzle has
been a strategic goal of both public
and private sector organisations
for years, yet only now are
environmental factors coming
under the spotlight. Facilities
managers have an opportunity to
lead this discussion and highlight
just how important the interior
environment is to the overall
functionality of organisations.
Two years ago, a consortium
of partners, including an EMCOR
UK team and backed by the
government, embarked on the
first-ever practical study into UK
indoor o ice environments. Led
by academics at Oxford Brookes
University and LCMB Building
Performance, the study was
supported by Innovate UK – the
government agency tasked with
boosting innovation in the UK
economy. The study forms part
of the Whole Life Performance
Plus (WLP+) project, which brings
together a consortium of experts
in building performance, property
development and facilities
management.
Workplaces taking part in the
study – including NATS (formerly
National Air Tra ic Services) and
Kings College London – were tested
over two years, with internet
of things (IoT) enabled sensors
installed to monitor fluctuating CO2
levels. During this time employees
were sent numerical, proofreading
and Stroop tests via email up to
three times a day as part of the
study. A methodology was then
applied to calculate the impact of
CO2 and temperature on perceived
productivity in those workplaces.
With lower CO2 levels, employees’
test scores improved by up to 12 per
cent. In one of the buildings tested,
people worked 38 per cent faster
with reduced CO2 concentrations,
completing tests in a mean
time of 8.2 minutes compared
to 13.3 minutes with higher CO2
concentrations. Such conclusive
findings highlights the need for
employers to take the monitoring
and measurement of environmental
conditions seriously.
In most modern o ices, the
opening of windows is highly
controlled, meaning that the quality
of the indoor atmosphere is heavily
reliant on air conditioning. This
means, for example, when o ices
are built or refurbished they are
o™ en ‘sealed’ and air conditioned
as standard. Even if buildings meet
ventilation standards, this doesn’t
mean that high CO2 levels are being
e ectively detected and reduced.
Higher CO2 o™ en leads to o ices
feeling stu y, which can mistakenly
be put down to high temperatures.
This in turn leads to more cooling
via aircon systems, consuming extra
energy and increasing greenhouse
gas emissions.
But while cooling may mean
the o ice feels fresher, it doesn’t
lower the CO2 level. For example,
meeting rooms, which are o™ en
sealed and occupied for prolonged
periods, can be allowed to reach
up to 3000ppm CO2 – a ecting
concentration and productivity.
Yet CO2 levels are not recorded
with enough granularity by
traditional building management
systems to evaluate the e ect on
occupants. For FMs responsible
for indoor conditions, this gives
new meaning to ‘breathing life into
buildings’; optimising CO2 levels
should be integral to creating
healthy and productive workplace
environments.
For air filter testing, there is a methodology for
loading a filter with artificial dust in the laboratory
so that you can see how the pressure drop
curve develops, giving an indication of energy
consumption and lifetime. Under the new ISO
standard, that test is now much more aligned
with the particle size suspended in the exterior
atmosphere in big cities.
A clean, healthy environment benefits people,
the economy and the bottom line. As well as being
vital for people’s health and the environment,
it is also essential for making sure our cities are
welcoming places for people to live and work now
and in the future.
Keith Chanter, CEO of EMCOR UK, discusses the
impact of poor offi ce environments, particularly
high CO2 levels, on worker performance