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With the start of the COVID-19 disaster, we began our COVID-19 Research From a Systems Perspective and our research surfaced the importance of proper facility ventilation to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases. Facility ventilation is a serious problem that is only getting worse because we lost the previous century knowledge that the purpose of ventilation is to reduce the risk of airborne contagions - think 1918 pandemic, tuberculosis, measles, etc. Ventilation was not about comfort, it was about health.
Today we must take action to properly fix the ventilation in all our facilities or people will continue to get sick in large numbers from respiratory diseases and it may even spark another epidemic. This is a serious public health issue in the same category as water pollution and localized industrial air pollution. For more information see Building Ventilation Video and visit our main webpage Home. We have an enormous amount of research that is available upon request: COVID-19 Research From a Systems Perspective.
Visit FVSE to see if your facility is on our database.
1. How do I know if I need a Ventilation QII?
We have developed a ventilation scorecard to determine not only the condition of your ventilation systems but also let you know if you would benefit from a Ventilation QII effort.
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Ventilation Scorecard.
Quality improvement indicators are used to detect how well current systems are working, allow for comparisons between entities, enable assessments of improvement over time, and improve transparency. They are a fundamental tool associated with effective Quality Programs. Contrary to what some assume, they are not just found in health care settings, they are found in all important systems and they are a key systems engineering tool that is part of the systems engineering specialty area known as Quality Assurance and Assessment.
Welcome to the Ventilation Quality Improvement Indicators and Data Collection Tool (QIDC). The QIDC provides access to our our Quality Improvement Indicators (QII) documents and allows staff to capture data associated with their ventilation system QIIs. The QIDC is for all public and private buildings including:
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2. Why use a Facility Ventilation QII?
Most assume that periodic HVAC vendor visits is all that is needed to ensure maximum ventilation system performance but that is not the case. Our research suggests that showing building managers and users how to properly operate and check the ventilation system between HVAC vendor visits is critical. To accomplish this we have developed a set of ventilation Quality Improvement Indicators (QIIs) for all facilities. We have found that a ventilation QII is the best approach for ensuring that the ventilation system is working properly and that there is real data to support proper system upgrades.
We check our water in our water delivery systems. We check our effluent in sanitation plants. Why are we not checking the ventilation performance levels in our facilities? The weakest link in any system is not the machinery, it is the people and people are always part of all systems. In mission critical systems engineering there are 2 old sayings: (1) trust but verify and (2) never trust anyone instead develop a system to protect the people from themselves. Based on these very important system concepts a Ventilation QII provides the following:
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Ventilation Scorecard.
3. What are the ventilation research findings?
Ventilation is measured in terms of Air Changes per Hour (ACH) for mechanical systems or Equivalent ACH (eACH) for Ultraviolet (UV) based systems. The higher the ACH level the lower the risk of infection from airborne contagions. The mechanical Heating Ventilation and Cooling (HVAC) systems and UV systems are the primary approaches used to ventilate buildings.
Facility ventilation rates dropped in the 1970's with the energy crisis. Facility ventilation rates dropped more in the 1980's when cigarette smoking was banned in buildings. One model suggests that there may not have been a COVID-19 epidemic in the USA if the ventilation rates were in place prior to the 1970s. Many buildings have poor maintenance with closed off vents, failed fans, or poor operations where the system is turned off when people are present. Many buildings have systems that are too small. It is important to ensure the ventilation system is being properly operated and maintained to maximize the ACH and eACH levels in a facility. Once the ventilation system is being properly operated and maintained then the ventilation levels can be measured and assessed. We have a database of over 2900 buildings and this is how they are characterized.
Facility Types |
Most facilities are in the Low End categories. After our QIIs are executed any facility can move into the next level of facility type and eventually reach Elite status. It is all about proper data, then proper decisions can be made rather than wrong decisions with poor or negative impacts and lost costs. The costs to execute the QIIs are trivial. The savings in terms of making the right ventilation system choices are massive.
Proper indicators are critical to ensure effective room ventilation. Indicators like air quality particle sensors and CO2 monitors instill false confidence because they do not provide the room Air Changes per Hour (ACH) level. The only way to determine the ACH level in a room is to measure the air Feet Per Minute (FPM) from each vent and calculate the ACH level using the total vent surface area, FPM, and room cubic feet. The one variable that changes is FPM and it is based on operations, maintenance, and occupant actions. There are other indicators just as important as the ACH and eACH levels that are in the QIIs.
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Ventilation Scorecard.
4. What are the 3 stages to innovation?
In the first stage the innovation is attacked and labeled as not not needed. In the second stage there is denial and silence with an unwillingness to listen to any arguments. In the third stage everyone is talking about it like it always existed - it is fully accepted. We are in the second stage of this innovation - Ventilation for airborne contagion mitigation.
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Ventilation Scorecard.
5. Are you moving into the third stage and accepting ventilation contagion mitigation?
The steps to check and improve ventilation levels using the QII approach are:
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For more information see Ventilation Education Presentation - PDF and Ventilation QII Presentation - PDF
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Ventilation Scorecard.
6. How does a Ventilation QII work?
Data is collected by one of the normal room occupants. It can be rotated or even assigned to the IT staff, which typically visits most rooms. Data collection is simple and takes just a minute for a typical room.
Streamlined Data Entry
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The QII can be executed with our documents using the supplied forms and or with the QIDC software tool that is on the Internet using your unique account access. The QIDC runs online or can be provided to your IT staff for internal only access. The QIIs and QIDC flow from our Ventilation Protocol and Standard that are the result of our COVID-19 research from a systems perspective that started in 2020. Medicare and Medicaid are always looking for new quality improvement indicators, it is time for a Ventilation QII and this is it.
Contact us now to start using our QIIs and the QIDC. More details about how to start are at: Demo
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Ventilation Scorecard.
7. I have a new ventilation system, do I still need to use a ventilation QII?
The short answer is YES. Your system may not detect ACH or eACH level failures. Your ventilation staff may be ignoring ACH or eACH alarms and failures. Your system may be measuring only particle and CO2 levels rather than FPM levels for ACH level determination, and we know that ACH levels may be dangerously low with acceptable particle and CO2 levels. Proper room ventilation observations and metrics is the answer.
Metrics Reports
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The only way around not using a ventilation QII is with an in-room ACH level alarm that measures FPM levels and alerts occupants to ACH levels that are below an acceptable threshold. While Cassbeth has the IP and designs, currently there are no products. The only system option at this time is the Ventilation QII approach.
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Ventilation Scorecard.
8. What about ventilation Carbon Footprint?
It is interesting to compare the costs of ventilation to the costs of lighting, appliances, and carbon footprint. The following are some key relationships.
Key Metric Items |
Units |
|
Watts (1) (2) |
Mechanical ventilation power 1 ACH (1 cuft) |
0.0086 |
Mechanical ventilation power 1 ACH (1000 sqft 12 ft ceiling) |
104 |
Mechanical ventilation power 4 ACH (1000 sqft 12 ft ceiling) |
414 |
Mechanical ventilation power 5 ACH (1000 sqft 12 ft ceiling) |
517 |
Mechanical ventilation power 6 ACH (1000 sqft 12 ft ceiling) |
621 |
Mechanical ventilation power 12 ACH (1000 sqft 12 ft ceiling) |
1242 |
UV Ventilation 12 eACH (1000 sqft) |
207 |
LED / Incandescent Lighting power 300 lux (1000 sqft) |
443 / 1948 |
LED / Incandescent Lighting power 500 lux (1000 sqft) |
738 / 3246 |
LED / Incandescent Lighting power 750 lux (1000 sqft) |
1107 / 4869 |
LED TV (~ 65 in) |
100 - 234 |
| Refrigerator | 225, 350-780 |
| Washer | 255 |
| Dryer | 2790 |
| Air Conditioner - 3 Ton (3) | 3500 |
CO2 lbs / kWh |
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Carbon footprint |
0.89 |
(1) The numbers are approximate and will vary with specific design solutions
and with time (2023).
(2) The mechanical ventilation numbers are not linear because of duct
resistance.
(3) Compressor running to provide cooling. For fan only to provide ventilation
see Mechanical ventilation power.
Although these numbers are approximations, they are a good gauge to make comparisons of different architecture choices.
Jump to
Ventilation Scorecard.
9. Is there any ventilation cost benefit analysis?
The short answer is YES.
The following systems analysis comes from our research. The results are not different from other research findings. We know that high levels of facility ventilation are more cost effective. The problem is one of perception, status quo, cost shifting from building owners to employers that rent space, and external factors like the energy crisis in the 1970s, banned cigarette smoking in the 1980s and 1990s, and currently reduced carbon foot print demands from stakeholders that are unaware of the ramifications of such demands.
Ventilation Cost Benefit Analysis
The following systems analysis is a ventilation cost benefit analysis. The two cost items are ventilation costs versus sick days costs. It is interesting to see that if the occupant density per 1000 sq-ft exceeds 3 occupants, there is a cost savings with large levels of ventilation. These are direct savings for an employer. This is an unexpected result primarily because everyone has been pre-conditioned to think that the lowest cost approach to ventilation is to just turn it off. This analysis strongly shows that the lowest cost approach is not only to turn on the ventilation, but actually have relatively high levels of ventilation. This analysis is based only on sick days and does not include the more severe cases that may lead to death or loss of health. It also does not include the indirect society costs of healthcare such as drugs, doctor visits, and hospital visits.
ACH |
Virus |
Watts |
kWh |
Ventilation |
Total Costs |
Total Costs |
Total Costs |
Total Costs |
Total Savings |
Total Savings |
Total Savings |
Total Savings |
0 |
1.00 |
0 |
0 |
$0 |
$6,720.00 |
$3,360.00 |
$2,016.00 |
$672.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
$0.00 |
1 |
0.63 |
104 |
216.32 |
$30 |
$4,263.30 |
$2,146.50 |
$1,299.78 |
$453.06 |
$2,456.70 |
$1,213.50 |
$716.22 |
$218.94 |
2 |
0.40 |
208 |
432.64 |
$59 |
$2,726.57 |
$1,392.99 |
$859.55 |
$326.12 |
$3,993.43 |
$1,967.01 |
$1,156.45 |
$345.88 |
3 |
0.25 |
312 |
648.96 |
$89 |
$1,769.42 |
$929.26 |
$593.20 |
$257.13 |
$4,950.58 |
$2,430.74 |
$1,422.80 |
$414.87 |
4 |
0.16 |
416 |
865.28 |
$119 |
$1,177.40 |
$648.10 |
$436.38 |
$224.66 |
$5,542.60 |
$2,711.90 |
$1,579.62 |
$447.34 |
5 |
0.10 |
520 |
1081.6 |
$149 |
$815.42 |
$481.96 |
$348.58 |
$215.20 |
$5,904.58 |
$2,878.04 |
$1,667.42 |
$456.80 |
6 |
0.06 |
624 |
1297.92 |
$178 |
$598.36 |
$388.28 |
$304.25 |
$220.22 |
$6,121.64 |
$2,971.72 |
$1,711.75 |
$451.78 |
7 |
0.04 |
728 |
1514.24 |
$208 |
$472.60 |
$340.25 |
$287.32 |
$234.38 |
$6,247.40 |
$3,019.75 |
$1,728.68 |
$437.62 |
8 |
0.02 |
832 |
1730.56 |
$238 |
$404.37 |
$320.99 |
$287.63 |
$254.28 |
$6,315.63 |
$3,039.01 |
$1,728.37 |
$417.72 |
9 |
0.02 |
936 |
1946.88 |
$267 |
$372.37 |
$319.84 |
$298.82 |
$277.81 |
$6,347.63 |
$3,040.16 |
$1,717.18 |
$394.19 |
10 |
0.01 |
1040 |
2163.2 |
$297 |
$363.19 |
$330.10 |
$316.86 |
$303.63 |
$6,356.81 |
$3,029.90 |
$1,699.14 |
$368.37 |
11 |
0.01 |
1144 |
2379.52 |
$327 |
$368.41 |
$347.56 |
$339.22 |
$330.88 |
$6,351.59 |
$3,012.44 |
$1,676.78 |
$341.12 |
12 |
0.00 |
1248 |
2595.84 |
$356 |
$382.68 |
$369.54 |
$364.29 |
$359.04 |
$6,337.32 |
$2,990.46 |
$1,651.71 |
$312.96 |
Note: All numbers are for a 1000 sq-ft space.
Assumptions:
Model Scenarios:
Calculations:
Infrastructure Cost Benefit Analysis
The annual costs due to lost productivity from just the Flu are estimated to be $20 billion. The following table has hospitalization, loss of life, and lost productivity costs.
Flu Season Date |
2019-2020 |
2018-2019 |
2017-2018 |
2017-2018 |
2015-2016 |
2014-2015 |
2013-2014 |
2012-2013 |
2011-2012 |
2010-2011 |
Symptomatic Illnesses |
38,000,000 |
36,000,000 |
45,000,000 |
29,000,000 |
24,000,000 |
30,000,000 |
30,000,000 |
34,000,000 |
9,300,000 |
21,000,000 |
Medical Visits |
18,000,000 |
17,000,000 |
21,000,000 |
14,000,000 |
11,000,000 |
14,000,000 |
13,000,000 |
16,000,000 |
4,300,000 |
10,000,000 |
Hospitalizations |
400,000 |
490,000 |
810,000 |
500,000 |
280,000 |
590,000 |
350,000 |
570,000 |
140,000 |
290,000 |
Loss of Life |
22,000 |
34,000 |
61,000 |
38,000 |
23,000 |
51,000 |
38,000 |
43,000 |
12,000 |
37,000 |
Employment to Population Ratio |
60.6% |
60.6% |
nv |
nv |
nv |
nv |
nv |
60.6% |
60.6% |
60.6% |
Estimated Sickened Workers |
23,028,000 |
20,000,000 |
25,000,000 |
18,100,827 |
11,049,083 |
18,100,827 |
17,166,702 |
20,604,000 |
5,635,800 |
12,726,000 |
Hospital Costs (billion) |
$6.8 |
$8.3 |
$13.8 |
$8.5 |
$4.8 |
$10 |
$5.9 |
$9.7 |
$2.4 |
$4.9 |
Loss of Life Costs (billion) |
$154 |
$238 |
$427 |
$266 |
$161 |
$357 |
$266 |
$301 |
$84 |
$259 |
Illness Costs - 10 years (billion) |
$2,588 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hourly Wage |
$28.00 |
$27.48 |
$26.74 |
$26.63 |
$26.63 |
$25.26 |
$24.19 |
$24.00 |
$24.00 |
$24.00 |
Wages Lost (4 Days) |
$896.00 |
$879.36 |
$855.68 |
$852.16 |
$852.16 |
$808.32 |
$774.08 |
$768.00 |
$768.00 |
$768.00 |
Productivity Costs (billion) |
$20.63 |
$18 |
$21.39 |
$15.4 |
$9.4 |
$14.6 |
$13.3 |
$15.82 |
$4.33 |
$9.77 |
Productivity Costs - 10 years (billion) |
$143 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Annual Flu Costs (billion) |
$181 |
$264 |
$462 |
$290 |
$175 |
$382 |
$285 |
$329 |
$91 |
$275 |
Total Costs - 10 years (billion) |
$2,736 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Infrastructure Costs (billion) |
$134 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The analysis is summarized as follows:
This cost benefit analysis shows the investment in reducing respiratory illness will justify the upgrades because these systems will last for decades. The analysis suggests that the payback period conservatively will be less than 2 years.
This challenge is exactly like the sanitation challenge to provide clean water and sewage management in the previous centuries. It took multiple bouts of Cholera and Dysentery before these systems were established in the 1800s. In the 1900s it was the dream of third world countries to establish clean water and sanitation systems. Providing clean air in a public building is the exact same problem. In the last century this happened naturally in the USA with the rise of Forced Air HVAC systems and the use of ceiling level UV-C lights. Today in the USA the HVAC systems have been tuned to minimize ventilation costs rather than health care costs and the old ceiling level UV-C lights were thrown away because the population stopped getting contagious diseases. They became very healthy with new longer life expectancy results and the knowledge was forgotten.
Businesses will not make this investment unless it is a small owner operated business that deals with the public or they are an elite setting and even in those settings they will buy the worng systems. It is unlikely the commercial real estate and development sectors will make the investment except for exclusive projects. The only way to deal with this bad system situation is through updated building codes that trace to new regulations and or laws but we know the government is deregulated and privatized. So we are left to our own devices to protect ourselves like masks but mask research once again shows that masks are not as effective as proper ventilation levels.
The reality is that proper ventilation will happen as time moves on and in 20 years the indoor air infrastructure upgrades will just naturally emerge. The problem is, if proper ventilation is not quickly adopted as policy and then very effectively implemented, millions will suffer, many will die, the economy will be hurt, but life will continue.
The correct answer is to always save lives!
Jump to
Ventilation Scorecard.
10. Is there a ventilation sick days reduction analysis?
The short answer is YES.
The following systems analysis is a ventilation sick days reduction analysis. The two key items are ventilation levels versus sick days reduction. This analysis is based only on direct sick days and does not include the spread of infection to others. For example, in a school setting a classroom infection event impacts multiple students and the teachers in the classroom. The students and teachers then take the illness home and infect others in the family. There are also additional impacts. For example, when children get sick a parent needs to stay home and this may translate to sick days from work. These cascading system events are not part of this analysis.
The following table shows different sick days reduction levels based on 3 possible model approaches. The first approach is based on remaining virus levels. The second approach is adjusted using empirical data that shows there is infection when the ACH = 1. The third approach is based on systems safety risk. These approaches were surfaced during our research into COVID-19 and there is significant analysis to suggest that these approaches have some merit.
ACH |
Virus |
Sick Days Reduction |
Adjusted |
Sick Days Reduction |
Systems |
Sick Days Reduction |
0 |
1.00 |
0% |
1.00 |
0% |
1.00 |
0% |
1 |
0.63 |
37% |
1.00 |
0% |
1.00 |
0% |
2 |
0.40 |
60% |
0.63 |
37% |
0.50 |
50% |
3 |
0.25 |
75% |
0.40 |
60% |
0.33 |
67% |
4 |
0.16 |
84% |
0.25 |
75% |
0.25 |
75% |
5 |
0.10 |
90% |
0.16 |
84% |
0.20 |
80% |
6 |
0.06 |
94% |
0.10 |
90% |
0.17 |
83% |
7 |
0.04 |
96% |
0.06 |
94% |
0.14 |
86% |
8 |
0.02 |
98% |
0.04 |
96% |
0.13 |
88% |
9 |
0.02 |
98% |
0.02 |
98% |
0.11 |
89% |
10 |
0.01 |
99% |
0.02 |
98% |
0.10 |
90% |
11 |
0.01 |
99% |
0.01 |
99% |
0.09 |
91% |
12 |
0.00 |
100% |
0.01 |
99% |
0.08 |
92% |
Calculations
Sick Days Reduction A
This is based on 63% of the virus being eliminated with 1 ACH (well mixed) and then 63% of the remaining virus being eliminated with each successive 1 ACH increment. The remaining virus is then equaled to probability of infection (Pi = Remaining Virus Percent). This approach comes from the medical analysts. Pi = Remaining Virus Percent.
Sick Days Reduction B
This is based on the Sick Days Reduction A approach but it is adjusted to consider empirical data that suggests that infection happens when the ACH = 1.
Sick Days Reduction C
This analysis comes from a systems safety perspective for various ACH Levels. This analysis is based on assuming that the probability of infection is 100% at ACH=0. We know from empirical data that infection happens at ACH=1. From a safety risk perspective if the ACH rate is doubled from 1 to 2 then the Risk is cut in half to 50%, from 1 to 4 the Risk is cut in 4 to 25% and so on. The risk is then equaled to probability of infection (Pi = Risk). Pi = Risk
The analysis suggests that the CDC guideline of 5 ACH is a reasonable guideline. The problem is that many facilities are at ACH = 0 when people are present because the ventilation systems only run for temperature comfort. When it is too cold the heater turns on for a brief period. When it is too hot the air conditioner turns on for a brief period. Further, measuring CO2 levels and particles as tracers to indicate what a virus load may be is wrong because the low CO2 and particle levels may be infected. The only way to manage the infection risk is to provide a constant ACH level when people are present as per CDC guidelines. What must happen is the ventilation system must be placed in Fan Mode so that the ventilation is constantly ON when people are present (as per the CDC guidelines), but that is not happening in most facilities.
There is a Clean Air in Buildings challenge that has been established by the U.S. Government. The following is an extract:
The "Clean Air in Buildings Challenge" is a call to action and a set of guiding principles and best practices to assist building owners and operators with reducing risks from airborne viruses and other contaminants indoors. The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge highlights a range of recommendations and resources available for improving ventilation and indoor air quality, which can help to better protect the health of building occupants and reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.
Key actions outlined in the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge include:
While the recommended actions cannot completely eliminate risks, they will reduce them. Infectious diseases like COVID-19 can spread through the inhalation of airborne particles and aerosols. In addition to other layered prevention strategies, like vaccination, wearing masks and physical distancing to reduce the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19, actions to improve ventilation, filtration and other proven air cleaning strategies can reduce the risk of exposure to particles, aerosols, and other contaminants, and improve indoor air quality and the health of building occupants.
For more information see:
Jump to
Ventilation Scorecard.
11. How does ventilation work to lower the risk of infection?
Airborne infections travel in aerosol clouds unlike a gas. A gas like CO2 quickly evenly disperses in a room. Contagions travel in aerosol clouds and linger. Ventilation moves the air in a room which, causes the aerosol cloud to disperse reducing the infection load near an occupant. The air movement also causes evaporation of the water barriers around some of the airborne contagions causing them to become inactivated. The remaining airborne contagions are sucked in by the ventilation system where they smash against the ductwork causing more contagions to be inactivated, and they finally reach the filtration systems which causes more contagions to be inactivated. Finally, clean air is returned back to the room replacing the contaminated air.
Ceiling level UV systems work differently. Aerosol clouds move with convection currents and those currents cause the contagions to reach the ceiling level where UV quickly inactivates the contagions. This is proven technology from the last century. It works and it works well. It can provide 12 - 24 eACH (Equivalent ACH). It is typically used in conjunction with mechanical ventilation systems that cause the Aerosol clouds to quickly reach the inactivation zone at the ceiling level.
FAR UV systems are relatively new and cover the entire space even with the occupants present in the space. A FAR UV system uses a specific UV frequency that is safe for humans and animals, unable to penetrate their natural water and skin barriers, but it is able to penetrate the barriers around airborne contagions and inactivate them in the same way as the Ceiling level UV systems.
UV systems have been placed in the ducts of HVAC systems. These induct UV systems do nothing to clean the occupied space. They only keep the HVAC system elements clean that are exposed to the UV. This is a very sad and pathetic scenario because many school districts were sold these useless systems thinking they were protecting school children and teachers. This is a direct result of government deregulation where no proper requirements were provided for updated local building codes and oversight. Each school district was left on its own and if the people were compromised, the solutions were compromised. The CDC guidelines are just guidelines with no enforcement. Those that ignore the CDC ventilation guidelines harm their communities but there are no ramifications. This is a classic example of a system being provided that trusts but does not verify and does not protect the people from themselves. This is why Ventilation QIIs are needed.
Jump to
Ventilation Scorecard.
12. What does a Ventilation QII look like?
*** START QII Sample ***Purpose
The QIDC allows users to collect data so that they can assess the quality of their ventilation systems and ensure that they operate at an optimum performance level. This includes effective operations and maintenance. Contrary to what most assume COVID-19 research from a systems perspective suggests that this is a serious challenge mostly because we take our ventilation systems for granted. It was only because of COVID-19 that we started to think about our ventilation systems and the role they play in reducing the risk of infection from airborne contagions.
What Is Ventilation
Ventilation is the introduction of clean air into a space using either filtration for recirculated air or outdoor air for the introduction of fresh air. Ventilation is mainly used to control indoor air quality by diluting and displacing indoor pollutants and contagions. It also can be used to control indoor temperature, humidity, and air motion for comfort. The intentional introduction of outdoor air is usually categorized as either mechanical ventilation, natural ventilation, or mixed-mode ventilation or hybrid ventilation.
Mechanical ventilation is fan driven flow of outdoor air into a building and filtered air that is recirculated. Mechanical ventilation systems may include supply fans, which push outdoor air into a building, exhaust fans, which draw air out of a building and cause equal ventilation flow into a building, or a combination of both.
Natural ventilation is passive flow of outdoor air into a building through planned openings such as louvers, doors, and windows. Natural ventilation does not require mechanical systems to move outdoor air. Instead, it relies on wind pressure or the stack effect. Natural ventilation openings may be fixed or adjustable. Adjustable openings may be controlled automatically or manually by occupants.
Mixed mode ventilation systems use both mechanical and natural approaches. The mechanical and natural components may be used at the same time, at different times of day, or in different seasons of the year. Since natural ventilation flow depends on environmental conditions, it may not always provide an appropriate amount of ventilation. In this case, mechanical systems may be used to supplement or regulate the naturally driven air flow.
Why Is Ventilation Important
With the outbreak of COVID-19 we began research on the disaster and quickly focused on ventilation. The analysis showed that the problem is massive within small enclosed spaces, problematic in large spaces, and extremely rare in outdoor spaces.
During the research, ventilation systems were studied and their effectiveness in mitigating the risk of infection. It was found that there are different approaches to ventilation that trace back into the early part of the 20th century and that they work. The problem is that today people have forgotten these ventilation approaches and they are either poorly designed, maintained, or operated thus leading to infection from airborne contagions.
Before COVID-19 surfaced people would get sick but eventually recover and return to life. Some would die from the Flu. Sick building syndrome was a typical reference. The death rate for COVID-19 was and is much higher than the typical Flu strains and it forced the shutdown of whole societies around the world. The vaccine has helped to restart the world but COVID-19 with its variants is still in the biosphere and more importantly not everyone on the planet has access to effective vaccines. COVID-19 showed that we have a problem with our ventilation systems.
The research found that there are categories of facilities such as Elite, Medium, Low, and Very Low end facilities that are separated by ventilation levels as determined by design performance levels, maintenance, and or operations. For example, an Elite facility might become a Very Low end facility because of poor operations in a scenario like an age 55 community clubhouse that tries to save money by turning off the ventilation system when people are present. Another example is a school classroom where the vents are closed off in the ceiling and the system sensors are unable to detect the close off condition and the children get infected. These are both real world examples from the research findings.
We have a database of over 2900 buildings and this is how they are characterized. Most facilities are in the Low End categories. After our QIIs are executed any facility can move into the next level of facility type and eventually reach Elite status. It is all about proper data, then proper decisions can be made rather than wrong decisions with poor or negative impacts and lost costs. The costs to execute the QIIs are trivial. The savings in terms of making the right ventilation system choices are massive.
Facility Type
Percent
(database)Ventilation Levels
Maintenance
Operations
Elite
10%
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Medium
8%
Lower
Excellent
Excellent
Low
82%
Lower
Poor
Excellent
Low
Lower
Excellent
Poor
Very Low
None
Poor
Poor
Facility Types
The first step in mitigating ventilation issues is to understand the current ventilation performance of a building. Ventilation is used to reduce the risk of infection from airborne contagions. Ventilation is measured in terms of Air Changes Per Hour (ACH). The higher the ACH level the lower the risk of infection from airborne contagions. It is important to ensure the ventilation system is being properly operated and maintained to maximize the ACH levels in a facility. Once the ventilation system is being properly operated and maintained then the ventilation levels can be measured and then assessed.
Ventilation Background
Ventilation is measured in terms of Air Changes per Hour (ACH) for mechanical systems or Equivalent ACH (eACH) for Ultraviolet (UV) based systems. If the ACH is zero people will be infected by an airborne contagion. As the ACH level increases the risk of infection drops. For hospital rooms with airborne contagions the CDC recommends a minimum of 12 ACH.
The mechanical Heating Ventilation and Cooling (HVAC) systems and UV systems are the primary approaches used to ventilate buildings. Many buildings have poor maintenance with closed off vents, failed fans, or poor operations where the system is turned off when people are present. Many buildings have systems that are too small.
We know that people will get infected with airborne contagions when the ventilation is off; the ACH=0. We also know from empirical data that people get infected when the ACH=1. As the ACH level increases, the risk of infection decreases. As one walks through many buildings it is obvious that some areas have poor ventilation performance levels. The air is stale and stagnant.
Public building maintenance is a challenge. Even the best facility management teams have issues like blocked vents, partially closed dampers because of complaints of hot or cold air, with sensors, timers, fans, and dampers that stop working properly and are not immediately fixed.
Lowering the airborne contagion level in a building will reduce healthcare costs. There are multiple studies showing the financial benefits of reducing Flu and other airborne infections. For lab scenarios ventilation is critical and improper ventilation can result in significant costs if lab testing results are invalidated by poor ventilation. In Assisted Living, Rehab Facilities, and Nursing Homes COVID-19 showed that the situation is grave.
Proper indicators are critical to ensure effective room ventilation. Indicators like air quality particle sensors and CO2 monitors instill false confidence because they do not provide the room Air Changes per Hour (ACH) level. The only way to determine the ACH level in a room is to measure the air Feet Per Minute (FPM) from each vent and calculate the ACH level using the total vent surface area, FPM, and room cubic feet. The one variable that changes is FPM and it is based on operations, maintenance, and occupant actions. The higher the ACH level the lower the risk of infection. There are other indicators just as important as the ACH level that are part of our QIIs.
A building ventilation system is a life support system. If the ventilation is not working properly people and animals will be infected by airborne contagions. Ventilation performance is key to ensure that the risk of infection is minimized or eliminated in a room.
In mission critical systems engineering there are 2 old sayings: (1) trust but verify and (2) never trust anyone instead develop a system to protect the people from themselves. The QIIs are based on this very important system concept.
Data Collection
Our QIIs use checklists to monitor and document the quality level of the ventilation system. Data is collected using separate forms in the QIIs or this software that we call the QIDC.
Responsible Point Of Contact
The QIIs or QIDC are assigned to a Ventilation Measurement and Assessment point of contact. This individual is responsible for the artifacts. Potential Ventilation Measurement and Assessment points of contacts are: Infectious Disease Nurse, Safety Officer, Facility Manager, Owner, or other designated person.
Adverse Events
Adverse events are documented using the organizations incident report process. All incident reports are provided weekly and proper remedies carried out in a timely manner. To resolve the adverse events, data is collected by contacting the appropriate individuals including internal staff or anyone else needed to resolve the issue and improve the quality of service. A spreadsheet template is provided.
Related Documents
Some QIIs have this content.
Checklists and Forms
This is the heart of the QII. Checklists and forms are provided. There is also a spreadsheet template and an online account. Data can be captured using any of these 3 approaches.
Ventilation for the Target Facility
Some QIIs have this content.
Background Research
Some QIIs have this content.
Sustainability
The goal is to reduce carbon footprint but not at the cost of lost health or epidemics. There are effective system choices to achieve both health and reduced carbon footprint. Some QIIs have this content.
*** END QII Sample ***
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Ventilation Scorecard.
We have had years to fix our ventilations systems but Government has refused to properly oversee and regulate, industry continues to maintain the status quo, people are in denial, snake oil solutions are being sold, while engineers, scientists, and healthcare professionals are being ignored. Only a massive education effort coupled with user occupant documented evidence of ventilation performance levels is all that is left and this can be accomplished with the introduction of Ventilation Quality Improvement Indicators (QII).
Do the right thing
and Contact Us about
starting to use a Ventilation QII in your facility.
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