The Rising Pressure on Building Managers to Improve Indoor Air

Presented by Parity

Propmodo Focus

Greetings!

Today’s email is brought to you by Parity. Learn how to save 20-30% on your utility costs, guaranteed!

Property managers have always cared about indoor air quality to some extent. After all, the term “sick building syndrome” was first coined and identified in the 1970s. However, the COVID-19 health emergency brought concerns about commercial buildings' indoor air quality to a new level. Buildings became synonymous with infectious air and everyone learned, voluntarily or not, that not every air filtration system is created equally.

Even after the pandemic subsided building occupants continued to think about air quality. For offices, new studies have come out showing just how much poor air quality can impact cognitive ability. For our homes, research has shown that gas appliances like stoves, furnaces, and water heaters have been contributing to an increased level of pollutants and have even been identified the cause of a shocking amount of childhood asthma cases.

Many commercial buildings still struggle with poor air quality due to outdated HVAC systems and undetected pollutants, which impact occupants' health and productivity. Plenty of other new challenges have cropped up in the world of indoor air pollution. Climate change and worsening outdoor air pollution, particularly in cities affected by wildfires and rising temperatures, further complicate the issue. Unfortunately, many of the ways that buildings clean their air, like using tighter filters or changing the air more often, are energy intensive and can increase a building’s carbon footprint and lead to more climate change. One of the ways that building engineers and designers are trying to clean up the air without using more electricity is by incorporating natural ventilation, something that many buildings lack as they have become more efficient due to tighter envelopes.

With the possibility of stricter IAQ guidelines in the U.S., companies are encouraged to take proactive measures to create healthier work environments that benefit employees. Pandemic concerns may have faded in much of the U.S., but a lasting legacy of COVID-19 is how much we continue to think about the air we breathe in commercial spaces.

Now, let’s dig in!

Presented by Parity

Save 20-30% On Your Utility Costs, Guaranteed

We know running a building is demanding, so we take the daily management of HVAC performance off your shoulders and do the heavy lifting ourselves.

Parity remotely controls and optimizes HVAC systems 24/7/365. Our Optimizer service allows us to guarantee utility cost savings to multifamily residential buildings and hotels.

We provide a customized, turnkey service to maximize energy efficiency and reduce energy waste from your HVAC systems.

See how we’ve improved operational efficiency and reduced utility costs in buildings across North America.

Insider Insights

Melting pot of pollution
A recent report commissioned by the Sierra Club shows evidence that air quality in New York City is deteriorating, with maximum daily ozone pollution increasing by 65 percent between 2016 and 2023. The majority of the increase is due to natural gas and propane powered water heating systems and boilers.

Share the heat
Check out this great profile on one of London’s most exciting new developments, Bankside Yards. The 5.5-acre project is set for completion in 2029 and will feature a state-of-the-art district heating system that transfers unused heat between buildings through an "ambient loop" heat pump system.

Headlines

October 7, 2024 | The Conversation
Air Pollution Inside Philly’s Subway Is Much Worse Than on the Streets

October 5, 2024 | The Los Angeles Times
Some Forms of Air Pollution May Prolong Postpartum Depression, Researchers Say

September 30, 2024 | Tech Xplore
New Cooling System Works on Gravity Instead of Electricity

Are You Enjoying This Newsletter?

Propmodo Focus is written and edited by Franco Faraudo with contributions from readers like you and the Propmodo team.

📧 Forward it to a friend and suggest they check it out.

🔗 Share a link to this post on social media.

🗣 Have ideas for future topics (or just want to say hello)? Share your feedback and tips at [email protected] or connect with us on X through @propmodo.

✅ Not subscribed yet? Sign up for this newsletter here.

📫️ Please add our newsletter email, [email protected], to your contacts to make sure you don’t miss any updates.

Explore Propmodo

• Read exclusive articles about a variety of topics, including Real Estate, Workplace, Buildings, and Development.

• Browse our collection of interactive Propmodo Research e-books.

• Sign up for upcoming Propmodo Live Webinars or watch past Propmodo Live videos on-demand.

• Dive into Propmodo Technology articles, podcasts, and short videos about the future of commercial real estate.

Enjoy reading about trends and innovation in commercial real estate? Subscribe to Propmodo.com for unrestricted access to reliable, data-driven journalism and exclusive insights available only to subscribers.