Electrical Contracting News (ECN) November 2016 | Page 60

FEATURE

HVAC

SOMETHING IN THE AIR
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a growing concern, both domestically and in the workplace. Recent research
by the Royal College of Physicians, and the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), has
placed the issue firmly on the agenda for consumers, as well as those influencing the commercial
and industrial sectors. David Cook of Vent-Axia explains how demand control ventilation can be
instrumental in improving the air quality in our buildings.

I

ndoor air quality is now centre
stage. The majority of people
would agree that indoor
air quality has always been
important, but the extent to
which it actually impacts our
everyday environment has not
always been front of mind.
It should be now as indoor air quality
is hitting the headlines in the press.
Reporting earlier this year, the Royal
College of Physicians found that around

40,000 people die annually in the UK as
a result of air pollution, costing more
than £20bn a year. Everyday pollutants
– kitchen products, faulty boilers, open
fires, fly sprays, air fresheners and
second-hand smoke – exacerbate the
situation, seriously impacting indoor air
quality. And with health problems such
as cancer, asthma, stroke and heart
disease, diabetes, obesity and dementia
all linked to poor air quality, it’s clear this
issue must be urgently addressed.

Workplace indoor air quality
Adding further impetus from a workplace
perspective is the recent Building
Engineering Services Association (BESA)
study warning that 70 per cent of office
workers believe poor workplace air
quality is having a negative effect on their
day-to-day productivity and wellbeing. In
addition, a further third are concerned that
poor indoor air quality could be having
a negative effect on their health. While

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