Understanding the potential risks of coronavirus particles circulating through office ventilation systems is critical toward restoring the trust of workers, building owners and managers say.
Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty ImagesOne way to reduce the spread of coronavirus is to maintain ventilation with plenty of fresh air. But what does that amount to in buildings?
The pandemic is challenging long-held conventions for offices to be cool, dry, shaded from direct sunlight and mostly sealed off from outside air. Researchers say those conditions can help spread and sustain the virus, prompting manufacturers of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment to alter their products and strategies.
Understanding the potential risks of coronavirus particles circulating through office ventilation systems is critical toward restoring the trust of workers and the public confidence in returning to commercial buildings, facilities managers and building owners say.
“Building owners are starting to realize what it means to be prepared for the new normal,” said Howard Lu, director of business development for Ainsworth Inc., which manages heating and air-conditioning systems at more than 40 office buildings in Toronto and its suburbs.
Modifications from equipment manufacturers such as Trane Technologies PLC, Carrier Global Corp. and Johnson Controls International PLC include filtering indoor air more thoroughly, drawing more outdoor air into buildings and deploying ultraviolet light against the virus inside ventilation systems.
“More fresh air and cleaner air are the direction that customers are going. This is top-of-mind for building owners and contractors,” said Jeff Williams, president of global products for Johnson Controls, maker of York-brand heating and air-conditioning equipment.
Trane upgraded filters on 25 air handlers last month at the Dia Art Foundation’s Beacon, N.Y., museum. The air conditioning’s cooling coils also were disinfected and the louvers unstuck on dampers to bring more outdoor air into the 240,000-square-foot former factory. Administrators hope the $15,000 upgrade will help open the museum, closed since March 13, within weeks.
“This was an unexpected cost,” said Chief Operating Officer Rachel Pivnick. “We want to do everything we can for our staff to feel safe. When our staff is safe, they’ll convey that to our visitors.”
Recirculated air should include about 20% outdoor air to effectively dilute coronavirus particles, according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.
Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesResearch released this spring by the Department of Homeland Security found that coronavirus particles decay faster at a room temperature of 78 degrees Fahrenheit with a relative humidity of 50% than at lower temperatures and humidity. Add in a strong dose of ultraviolet light, and the virus decays by 90% in less than seven minutes, according to the department. Humans’ immune systems also are more effective against viruses in warmer, more humid conditions, according to a Yale University study published in May 2019.
“We can minimize the spread of the virus in the summer when there is plenty of sunlight and higher humidity. They’re actually effective in a defined space,” said Luke Leung, epidemic task force leader for the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, a trade association.
Transmission of the coronavirus is believed to occur mostly through droplets that humans emit when they cough or talk. But doctors and researchers are also investigating tiny virus particles that travel longer distances through the air.
Related Video
A University of Oregon study released in June found airborne virus particles on a quarter of the places tested on multiple air-handling units at a local hospital where coronavirus patients were being treated. It was unclear whether the particles were still viable while they were circulated.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that state regulators will require large shopping malls to have air filters that can trap the virus particles as a condition for reopening.
Recirculated air should include about 20% outdoor air to effectively dilute coronavirus particles, the Atlanta-based engineers’ society says. Many buildings’ air handlers were set up to draw less outdoor air, to maximize energy efficiency.
“The past few years there was a lot of emphasis on energy saving and there was less outside air in buildings,” said Seth Ferriell, chief executive of SSC Services for Education, a Tennessee-based company that manages ventilation systems for schools and universities. The firm has a contract to upgrade air handlers at Texas A&M University.
Mr. Ferriell estimated that increasing the amount of outdoor air in a building by 50% would drive up natural gas or electricity costs by as much as 15% a year because that additional air has to be cooled or heated to match the desired interior temperature.
Denser filters on air handlers to capture airborne coronavirus particles, though, can require higher fan speeds to push the air through. Some older fans may need to be replaced, said Mr. Ferriell, pushing up air-filtration costs to as much as 50% more than before the pandemic.
The pressure to upgrade climate systems comes as expenses are already rising from other safety measures, including more frequent cleaning of offices and lobbies. Vacancy rates are also rising as companies allow some employees to continue working from home.
“They’re in a tough financial situation,” said Michael Zikoski, existing building services leader in New York for Trane. “They’re seeing reduced or no increase in revenue.”
Write to Bob Tita at robert.tita@wsj.com
Copyright ©2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
"try" - Google News
July 08, 2020 at 06:38PM
https://ift.tt/2ChWf5I
Offices Try to Combat Coronavirus With More Fresh Air - The Wall Street Journal
"try" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3b52l6K
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Offices Try to Combat Coronavirus With More Fresh Air - The Wall Street Journal"
Post a Comment