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Have you ever heard of the saying, “Communication is the key to success?” The same adage applies to the world of building automation. Controls protocols are standardized forms of communication that allow the equipment in a building to communicate. There are many types of protocols, but there is a big difference in Open Protocols vs. Closed or Proprietary Controls.

[simple_tooltip content=’A Building Automation System (BAS) mainly focuses on automation of indoor conditions like Heating, Ventilation, Lighting, and Air-Conditioning. At the same time, its motive is to provide cost and energy efficient solutions and thereby making the buildings intelligent. In making the building intelligent, the most important thing is the communication between the different devises. Building Automation Protocols are the rules and standards of which communication is possible between different devices. An Open Protocol allows vendors’ equipment to interoperate without the need for proprietary interfaces. The main advantage of using Open Protocols is ease of expanding and the ability to allow secure remote access to the system through any standard web browser.’]Open Protocol[/simple_tooltip] allows customers the freedom to work with multiple controls contractors in supporting their building automation infrastructure. This is opposed to [simple_tooltip content=’A Closed or Proprietary BAS is a stand-alone system where all elements are produced by the same manufacturer and these elements will not be compatible with any other manufacturer’s equipment. The drawback of Closed Protocol systems come in the form of restrictions. By being bound to one manufacturer, you will also be restricted in where you can go for repairs. Additionally, it means that a decision to migrate to another manufacturer will need a complete change of system.’]Closed or Proprietary[/simple_tooltip] building automation systems that require work to be done by the manufactures technicians, which often leads to more costly service. Instead, open protocol systems can be serviced by any experienced contractor, giving customers more flexibility and options. Open protocol systems communicate seamlessly with equipment produced from different manufacturers and can be used with both new and existing equipment.

If you have the option to upgrade your building automation system, focus on an open protocol system, and don’t be afraid to ask questions! If you have questions about this relatively complex topic, you can reach out to me directly. ColonialWebb provides an Open Protocol Distech Controls Product Line that we provide to our customers built on the Niagara framework infrastructure. If you’d like to learn more about ColonialWebb’s BAS Services, Click Here.

While [simple_tooltip content=’Regular or routine maintenance that is performed on equipment in order to prevent downtime.’]Preventative Maintenance (PM)[/simple_tooltip] in mechanical systems is often commonplace, the same cannot always be said for electrical systems. If you depend on the proper running of electrical equipment, it’s time to consider scheduled electrical maintenance to prevent interruptions, downtime, and failures.

Electrical distribution systems have developed to become highly reliable over the years, with many systems spending dozens of years in service. However, distribution systems fail and can result in catastrophic failure of a facilities’ services. Additionally, one of the potential downfalls of an electrical system’s long service life is that many of the components may not have readily available replacement parts in a time of failure. A few questions that a facility owner may want to ask themselves when assessing whether PM of electrical equipment is a good idea:

• Does my electrical system support mission-critical activities?
• Does my facility already budget PM to other systems?
• How can a good PM program for my electrical equipment extend its life?

Depending on the type and age of your electrical systems, multiple PM actions should be considered, including:

• Infrared Thermal Imaging of all distribution components
• Annual PM shutdown services
• Breaker load testing
• Assessments of bonding and grounding systems

If your electrical distribution system serves critical loads, is more than ten years old, or has been prone to intermittent failure, now may be the time to start looking into a comprehensive preventative maintenance program.

The following text was originally published in the form of a video on August 11, 2021, please scroll to the bottom of the post to view the video version.

If you are reading this blog post right now, then you are inhaling and exhaling air; a process of exchange that occurs approximately 10 times every minute. And if you happen to be indoors at this very moment, then you are surrounded by air that is made up of gases like nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide among others. The composition of this air affects your health, comfort, and overall quality of life.

Indoor Air Quality or (IAQ) is exactly what it probably sounds like. The EPA defines it as “The air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants.”

Pollutants & Side Effects

To understand why indoor air quality matters, it is important to first get an understanding of the pollutants that can be found in each space and how they affect us. These pollutants can be categorized into four groups:

1. Gases
2. Particulates
3. Microbial Contaminants
4. Mass or Energy Stressors

These groups of pollutants include toxins that we have all heard of, like carbon monoxide, asbestos, radon, mold, and bacteria to name a few. Additionally, each of these toxins affects our well-being in different ways; the impact is variable and can depend on the length of exposure:

Acute Side Effects from bad IAQ might include short term symptoms like watery eyes from spraying a household cleaner or a headache from being in a building with mold in its walls.

Extreme Side Effects can include respiratory diseases or death from contaminants like carbon monoxide or asbestos.

To make matters worse, people who are often most susceptible to the negative effects of air pollutants, mainly young children, older adults, and individuals with cardiovascular or respiratory diseases tend to spend the most time indoors.

Pollutant Sources

If you are wondering where these pollutants come from, most are rooted from sources inside of buildings, although some can be brought indoors from outside.

Indoor Sources include:

• Household products, like cleaning supplies, insecticides, and paints.
• Combustion sources like tobacco, fireplaces, and cooking appliances that let out carbon monoxide.
• Old building materials and off-gassing chemicals from new building materials.
• Natural sources such as radon, pet dander, and mold.

Outdoor Sources can enter buildings through:

• Open windows, doors, ventilation systems, and abnormalities in a building’s structure, like a cracked wall or foundation.
• Smoke from chimneys and VOCs from running water or cooking.
• Dirt and dust left behind by shoes and clothing can be hosts for pollutants that adhere to those particles.

Remember earlier when I mentioned that the air that we breathe is typically a mix of gases, like nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide among others? Whenever we inhale this air, our body acts as a filtration system, and we exhale the gases that we don’t need, like carbon dioxide. If we take a pollutant and throw it into the air’s composition, such as radon, or asbestos fibers, then we are ingesting a substance that our body cannot naturally filter. This is when the human reflex of breathing no longer becomes a process of exchange. In essence, we become storage vessels for contaminants and are left to deal with the consequences.

HVAC Systems and Indoor Air Quality

When it comes to facility management, the basic upkeep of an HVAC system is often prioritized over the quality of the air that flows through it. Additionally, since the effects of air pollutants are felt and not seen, it can be easy to act like they aren’t there. In the face of the recent pandemic, we can no longer take this approach. IAQ means the difference between the spread of germs, bacteria, and disease — and in some cases, life and death.

According to the EPA, Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations. The World Building Council claims that improved air quality can increase productivity by 11 percent and according to a 2015 double-blind study from Harvard, it can double the cognitive function of those in offices with average levels of the same pollutants.

In simple terms, HVAC systems are like the respiratory systems of our buildings. Unlike our body’s respiratory system though, there are ways to optimize this system to benefit air quality.

Solutions

So, what do we need to do to make the quality of indoor air good? First, reduce contaminant sources and second, capture and exhaust contaminants close to their source. When it comes to HVAC, we can take basic measures like improving ventilation, upgrading filters, conducting performance level inspections, and improving temperature control. These are all things that we will cover in a future blog post.

If you are an owner or manager of a commercial facility and looking to improve your indoor air quality, then please visit our Indoor Air Quality service page and consider getting in touch with us to find out how we can help. We offer a wide range of HVAC services that will modernize your building’s approach and create a healthy work environment for the individuals inside.

The following text was originally published in the form of a video on September 23, 2021, please scroll to the bottom of the post to view the video.

When the global pandemic first hit in the beginning of 2020, [simple_tooltip content=’Indoor Air Quality (or IAQ) refers to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants. Understanding and controlling common pollutants indoors can help reduce your risk of indoor health concerns.’]Indoor Air Quality (or IAQ)[/simple_tooltip] became the elephant in the room for people that were responsible for HVAC equipment — this includes everyone from CEOs to facility managers and property owners. Measures were taken for businesses to regularly sterilize horizontal surfaces, enforce mask wearing, and increase social distancing. Individuals were doing their part, but it became clear that the infrastructure of buildings needed to adopt new practices as well.

This brought some questions to the forefront of businesses looking to reopen or optimize their indoor spaces like, “What long term solutions can be implemented to prevent another pandemic from happening again?” And more precisely, “How can we prevent the spread of germs and disease?” For the individuals responsible for managing HVAC systems, the pandemic has marked a shift in attitude towards indoor air quality from being a nice to have to being a need to have. The good news is that the basics of good IAQ have not changed within the context of HVAC.

There are four essential things that every commercial facility needs to be concerned with when it comes to quality of their air:

1. Ventilation Systems
2. Filtration Systems
3. HVAC System Inspections
4. Temperature Control

Ventilation

The role of ventilation is to add the proper amount of fresh air from outside of your space to the air inside of your space and remove an equal amount of the old air. The role is so vital, that ASHRAE [Glossary Term Hover], claims it is one of the most important jobs of an HVAC system. It is the difference between fresh air and stagnant, uncomfortable air. And at its worst, subpar ventilation can trap indoor air containing toxins and contaminants that can make people sick.

Put simply, the way to prevent this from happening is to increase both the amount of mechanical and natural ventilation within the building. To start, you need to at least meet the building code minimum outdoor air ventilation rates and ensure that building exhaust systems are exchanging the proper amount of air. It’s important that you know what these rates are for your specific facility type within your locality. You will want to find a [simple_tooltip content=’This is the content for the tooltip bubble’]Test and Balance[/simple_tooltip] professional that can help you measure your systems to see where your air ventilation rates are at so that you can adjust accordingly. Testing, adjusting, and balancing is not within the skill set of most HVAC service technicians, so make sure you get the proper help that you need.

For typical commercial buildings, [simple_tooltip content=’An acronym for the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers, ASHRAE’s mission is to serve humanity by advancing the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, and their allied fields with a vision of a healthy and sustainable built environment for all.’]ASHRAE[/simple_tooltip] recommends four to six air changes per hour (ACH) of ventilation to eliminate airborne viral pathogens. If doing this causes an increase in energy consumption, it can be offset through other strategies like the use of Energy Recovery Ventilators, or ERV, and improving Building Envelope Performance.

Filtration

Kind of like the lungs of an HVAC system, filters ensure that air circulating through a building is refined for human consumption — they trap particulates and contaminants that can affect our well-being. Therefore, it is important to make sure that filters are replaced at the appropriate times and not getting overloaded between changes.

According to ASHRAE, a filter rating of MERV 13 is recommended for most building systems. If this isn’t doable, then at the very least, have a minimum of MERV 11 filters. Depicted in the chart below, MERV 13 rated filters are the difference between trapping bacteria and virus carriers. The higher the MERV rating, the more effective the filter is at capturing certain types of particles.

[Chart Depiction of MERV Ratings]

Check out our blog post for more insights into MERV ratings.

System Inspections

The third essential for good IAQ are HVAC System Inspections. Much like you would take your car to a mechanic for an inspection, or go to the doctor for a yearly physical, your HVAC system needs to be thoroughly reviewed and assessed by experienced HVAC professionals to confirm that all system components function properly. This includes everything from temperature and thermostat checks to inspections of cooling systems, electrical connections, refrigerant levels, safety measures, coils, pressure, and more.

Filters are not the only thing that needs to be maintained in your system, so make sure to check your HVAC service agreement to ensure that comprehensive and thorough system inspections are indeed happening. Additionally, make sure that at least one Performance Level Inspection [Glossary Term Hover] is included in your agreement. This will provide insight into the efficiency of your system and documentation for future maintenance or upgrades.

Temperature Control

We’ve all been in a building that was kept too cold for no good reason, or a building where the heat wasn’t working during a cold spell in the winter…it’s pretty distracting, isn’t it? Both cold and hot temperatures can negatively impact productivity, concentration, and work performance.

Additionally, Thermal Discomfort negatively impacts the efficiency of the human immune system and exacerbates the impacts of illness, so it’s important to take temperature and resulting thermal discomfort into account. Most temperature ranges found within buildings won’t significantly impact the viability of pathogens themselves but will affect how humans respond to them.

To better manage temperature in your facility you will want to implement a good thermostat system or invest in a Building Automation System [Glossary Term Hover]. These systems can vary in complexity depending on the needs of the building and keep a building’s climate within a specified range optimized for its respective tenants.

[Image Depicting of BAS System]

Conclusion

While getting started with Indoor Air Quality, the topic might seem vast and possibly even intimidating, but this shouldn’t be a reason for stopping you from deploying the best practices we covered in this video. The most important thing is to understand your buildings, understand the respective HVAC systems, and how the spaces are utilized.

Good IAQ doesn’t have to be costly and doesn’t have to involve incorporating practices beyond the capabilities of the building professions and trades. Taking the time to better the quality of air in your buildings will lead to more productive and happier occupants, as well as a better ROI from those occupants. Additionally, it prevents costly mechanical system repairs, legal costs, and bad publicity.

We hope this blog post helped you understand how to get started to optimize your HVAC system for IAQ. If you are an owner or manager of a commercial facility and looking to improve your indoor air quality, then please visit our Indoor Air Quality service page and consider getting in touch with us to find out how we can help. Make sure to stay tuned for future content on IAQ where we will discuss topics like Utraviolet Irradiation and Bipolar Ionization.