Josh Lewis - Optimizing HVAC Systems for a Healthy Environment
Channel: Sustainable Buildings Canada
Date: 30/06/2022

When COVID-19 became a pandemic in 2020, there was an immediate realization that the risk of transmission within buildings was likely very high due to the aerosolization of viral particles. This forced buildings owners and operators to quickly implement strategies to improve indoor air quality and reduce the risk of disease transmission.

However, many of the strategies to improve indoor quality can lead us down a path of reducing the energy efficiency and increasing the carbon emissions of our buildings. At the same time, in our just society, it is impossible to put a price on the health and well-being of any person. On average, we spend 90% of our life indoors – so maintaining air quality has and will always be critical. But we must achieve a balance between efficiency, air quality, and comfort.

Josh’s presentation will provide insight on the typical measures being deployed within buildings to mitigate disease spread by improving indoor air quality, while simultaneously discussing the positive or negative impact they can have on energy efficiency and carbon emissions, in order to help provide education on the range of options available to address this issue which now has a renewed focus in the building sector.