R-Zero, a leader in smart building solutions, has officially announced the launch of a new innovative in RESET-certified indoor air quality (IAQ) monitor, while simultaneously introducing a connected dashboard to visualize and act on IAQ data on demand. According to certain reports, the stated technology is designed for application in offices, schools, and healthcare facilities, locations where it will essentially inform us how indoor environments support occupant comfort, operational performance, including HVAC fault detection, and energy use. This information is likely to include real-time air quality data and environmental comfort measures like temperature, humidity, pressure, light intensity, and noise. These factors, like you can guess, can go a long distance to empower building owners and operators in the context of achieving an optimal return on investment. Talk about the whole value proposition on a slightly deeper level, we begin from the promise of maximizing productivity. You see, by maintaining healthy levels of CO2 in office and school facilities, the new technology is able to create high-performance environments at scale. Next up, we must get into its ability to prevent discomfort and risk, an ability which refers to the way R-Zero’s latest brainchild stays ahead of air quality issues through smart building controls that, on their part, help it in taking corrective action if and when needed. As for how it reduces occupant’s risk, the answer resides in the monitor’s pledge to prevent exposure to off-gassing from furniture and carpets with formaldehyde measurements. Complimenting the same is RESET’s potential in gauging thermal comfort, noise, and light intensity throughout your space. Not just that, it can also integrate rather seamlessly with your room reservation systems to accommodate unique preferences.
“Monitoring indoor air and environmental quality goes beyond meeting the minimum compliance levels for standards like ASHRAE; it’s about enhancing occupant experiences and delivering tangible benefits for building owners and operators. As building stewards, we must embrace innovations that safeguard well-being, ensure comfort, and deliver efficient, sustainable operations,” said Dean Stanberry, Past Chair of the Global Board of Directors for the International Facility Management Association. “You can’t manage what you don’t measure. By monitoring real-time building performance, you can swiftly address mechanical issues and assure occupants that their environment is safe and healthy, driving both satisfaction and value.”
Another detail worth a mention here talks to how the monitor in question can detect mechanical issues early, and therefore, enable you to save a big chunk of your money that would have otherwise gone in maintenance costs. Leveraging real-time IAQ data to detect faults in the HVAC system, the monitor is able to fix ventilation problems before they become widespread and costly, thus ensuring favorable environmental conditions in your buildings. Markedly enough, this isn’t the only place where the technology’s real-time data comes in handy, as it also helps in meeting the mandates posed by various healthy building certifications, such as RESET, WELL, LEED, and fitwel.
To understand the significance of such a development, though, we must acknowledge those studies that confirmed IAQ’s impact on how people feel and how well they live, especially when there is a problem with poor airflow. In fact, the problem of poor airflow, which is often caused by broken or bad HVAC systems, becomes all the more serious in the case of occupants suffering from chronic asthma or allergies. Among common indoor pollutants that impact occupant comfort and well-being, there is carbon dioxide, which in high quantities causes drowsiness and reduced concentration. Then, we have particulate matter like dust, mold spores, soot, and pollen, all of which can negatively impact respiratory health. Your environment can also have volatile organic compounds like those found in cleaning agents and paint or offgassed from new furniture and building materials, which cause eye, nose, and throat irritation. Alongside that, it can even worsen certain existing medical conditions. Apart from health-related consequences, energy waste is another common problem in spaces where HVAC is not functioning properly.
