Creating a Healthier Environment for Your Building
As we move from Stay-at-Home to Back-to-Work, strategies to keep customers and employees safe abound. Add that to ever-changing perceptions about what is normal and there is a plethora of information to sift through and many decisions to make. Which strategies can you use in your buildings and offices? Which ones will your customers and staff deem safe enough to return to work?
Start with the Easy Stuff
Begin with your HVAC system. Adjust your settings to ensure they meet ASHRAE’s guidelines on fresh air. Make minor adjustments to create an environment where it is more difficult for the virus to spread. Many of these settings are currently in place to optimize energy efficiency, but the priority today is health. Some options include:
Close circulation dampeners: To prevent contaminated air from re-circulating, see if it is possible to prevent ‘used air’ from re-entering the system.
Run higher than normal ventilation levels: In order to dilute particles, or remove them from the air altogether, consider increasing fan speeds and a higher airflow setpoint.
Correct pressure differences: To keep potentially contaminated air from moving to or leaking into places it shouldn’t, consider adjusting the setpoints. Do not alter the pressure difference control.
Then Move on to Rethinking How Controls Systems Can Help
In a time when touchpoints are viewed as bastions of germs, focus on eliminating them with the use of technology. When staff members walk into a conference room, they turn on the lights, adjust the AC, close the blinds, and turn on the TV. All of these touchpoints can be removed with the right controls system. An app on a personal device can be programmed to allow users to book the conference room online, automatically unlocking and opening the door at a predetermined time. The AC can be set to automatically adjust in the time before the meeting is scheduled. The blinds can be opened or closed with one swipe of a touchscreen. The TV can be controlled through that same program, but all of these systems have to be put in place. In the past, some aspects of a building’s controls systems have been available to a select group of personnel. By combining systems, expanding control of those systems, and training staff to use their own devices to control things, you can eliminate these potentially contagious elements of your buildings. IoT can provide a common point of integrations while other communications, like Bluetooth, IR communications, and API, can provide support.
Priority in Providing a Healthy Environment
Creating a healthy workspace for employees or customers is a delicate balance. You must weigh the costs, energy efficiency, comfort, and protection of your staff or customers. Your controls system may not be up to the challenge, you might need some upgrades or a new system altogether. Finding a trustworthy controls company is an important step. Finding one that specializes in Delta Controls systems, and offers touchless temperature readings through Vivotek Security cameras is a bonus. We’re both. If you’d like to find out more, contact us for an evaluation.