User Manual

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2 Why is a healthy, productive indoor climate so valuable?
2.1 Building occupant productivity
Recent research studies highlight the large impact of indoor air quality (IAQ) on the perfor-
mance of people. The control of carbon dioxide (CO
2) plays a major role, providing an oppor-
tunity to increase measurable productivity by up to 18% on average and by a factor of 10 or
more at CO
2 levels often found in meeting rooms and classrooms (References 1, 2, 3, and 4).
Room temperature control is also important in
ensuring occupant productivity. At room tempera-
tures above or below the generally acceptable
range of 20-23 °C, productivity falls. At the lower
end of this temperature range, productivity can be
maintained by wearing more or better clothing!
However, above 23 °C, productivity falls
significantly (References 5 and 6). Today,
temperature control is standard in almost all
buildings. Consequently, in the remainder of this
document we assume that room temperature is in
any case controlled to be in a comfortable range
and focus on room air quality parameters.
2.2 Building occupant health and wellbeing
There have been concerns for many years about the impact of “sick building syndrome” (SBS)
on absenteeism and building occupant performance. The effects of SBS can be greatly
reduced by controlling the level of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and other indoor air
pollutants. Here again, room automation to monitor and control pollutants, as well as
temperature and humidity, leads to decreased absenteeism, higher productivity and an
increased sense of wellbeing for building occupants.
The health impact of indoor air pollution from fine
dust (PM2.5) – not only in Asia but also in cities
worldwide – drives the requirement to monitor and
control indoor fine dust. The European
Environment Agency (EEA) reported that more
than 400,000 people in Europe die prematurely
every year as a result of air pollution (Reference 7).
Many organizations want to offer their employees
safe working conditions, free from the effects of
indoor air pollution. The demand for fine dust
sensors and new room control applications will
continue to increase along with the awareness of
this very serious threat to health.