Woodside, a fitness club in Westwood, KS, turned to National TAB Intelligence to review and assess the indoor air quality of their two buildings. Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the air quality within and around buildings. It is known to affect the health, comfort, and wellbeing of occupants.  

The Task

The COVID-19 pandemic has forever changed the way building owners maintain indoor air quality. With pre-pandemic guidelines no longer enough, Woodside wanted to improve their IAQ to help patrons feel comfortable and safe.

The Solution

NTi’s goal on this project was to assess and improve IAQ in regard to COVID-19 best safety practices. Each HVAC unit was inspected; the following systems, all beneficial for preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other illnesses, were already installed:

• PHI® systems by RGF®. This technology actively kills COVID-19 by 99.9% immediately in the air and on surfaces. It works continuously in conditioned, occupied spaces.

• MERV-13 filters.

Bi-polar ionization devices, another technology that has been shown to reduce the spread of viruses, were also installed in the HVAC systems.

With these strategies already in place, the primary focus of improvement was on increasing the ventilation and fresh air rates, which helps reduce the spread of the virus. NTi measured the initial airflow rates, then adjusted each system to maximize performance without disrupting the heating and cooling equipment.

The Results

After completing the testing, the total fresh air between both buildings increased by 69%! Significant improvements were made to the ventilation rates and overall indoor air quality in the facility, providing patrons with peace of mind about the cleanliness of the air they breathe.

Figure 1: Initial Vs. Final Ventilation Table