IAQ Monitor Brings Insight to AHR Expo

CHICAGO – Airthings, a developer of IAQ monitoring and building performance insights, has launched Ventilation Rate, a new feature to optimize a building’s ventilation system.

In addition to the release of Space Nano in late 2023, the Ventilation Rate feature joins the
Airthings for Business Solution portfolio at AHR Expo 2024 being held this week in Chicago

Designed to optimize building performance and enhance workspace well-being, the Ventilation Rate feature  offers two new virtual sensors that measure the estimated Air Exchange Rate (measured as ACH, or air changes per hour) and Airflow (currently available in API only) in a specific room or space.

“With the Airthings solution, you can now monitor Air Exchange Rate in all the various rooms of a building in real-time utilizing existing air quality sensors. Air Exchange Rate reveals the efficiency of a building’s ventilation system, so you can easily balance ventilation and air quality of the various rooms in a building,” said Oyvind Birkenes, CEO of Airthings.

These estimates indicate how often the air in a room is replaced with fresh air each hour. Ventilation Rate helps to validate the following:
● Good indoor air quality: Higher air exchange rates correspond to better ventilation, improving indoor air quality and reducing risk of transmission of airborne viruses.

● Energy efficiency: Balancing sufficient ventilation with energy efficiency is crucial. Analyzing the Air Exchange Rate in rooms and buildings through the Airthings Dashboard or API enables optimization of ventilation systems to minimize energy consumption while providing healthy indoor air to where people are in a building. The Ventilation Rate feature from Airthings can also enable Demand Controlled Ventilation (DCV) in existing buildings.

● Regulatory compliance: Building codes and standards often stipulate minimum ventilation rates based on room size, use, and occupancy. These standards aim to achieve acceptable indoor air quality levels. According to ASHRAE 62.1 (the recognized standard for ventilation system design and acceptable indoor air quality), the target for any space should be at least five air changes per hour.

Ventilation Rate is now available for Space PRO, Space Plus, and Space CO2 Mini. Users can access insight into ventilation performance through the Airthings for Business Dashboard.

By comparing Ventilation Rate data alongside other insights in the Dashboard – such as occupancy data and CO2 levels – Airthings for Business customers can determine whether they are under-or-over-ventilating a building. This data can help inform and optimize ventilation schedules, thereby removing the inaccuracies associated with using a ‘traditional office hours’ schedule to guide ventilation levels.

“The Airthings for Business solution truly empowers us to know more about what we can do to breathe the healthiest air possible,” said Birkenes. “With these new virtual sensors, our Airthings for Business customers can better understand the quality of the indoor air they breathe and take action.”

Airthings for Business offers an air quality monitoring solution that provides actionable insights and trends using live and historical data. It is a powerful solution for monitoring and transforming indoor air quality to promote occupant well-being and help create more sustainable buildings. The Airthings for Business solution is fully scalable, offering wireless, easy-to-install devices with comprehensive multi-sensors that monitor CO2, PM1, PM 2.5, radon, VOC, humidity, temperature, light, noise, and pressure, along with virtual sensors for mold risk, virus risk, and occupancy.

Headquartered in the heart of Oslo, Norway, and with offices in the US and Sweden, the company has over 130 employees of more than 30 nationalities—and counting. To see the full range of Airthings indoor air quality monitors and radon detectors or to learn more about the importance of continuous air quality monitoring, go to www.airthings.com.