As we come out of the stay at home orders and back into spaces there is a sense of how safe are the enclosed spaces we enter? At DMA Engineering, we’ve wondered the same things and have put into place some accommodations:
- Pre-entry Visitor Station: We ask visitors to sanitize their hands before entering and kindly require masks for entry.
- Inside DMA: Frequent workspace wipe down, continuous fan on our main RTU to bring in fresh air, even if we do not need to heat or cool our space, over 20 house plants to maintain humidity and deliver fresh air, increasing filters on our RTU’s to MERV 14 and frequent filter changes.
- Adding a DDC control system that sets an alarm to remind of filter changes. The DDC Control system will allow us to operate our system at a more logical function than a standard thermostat. The DDC can help further reduce energy consumption, too. Cleaner air delivered more efficiently to you.
- Adding a Renewaire Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) that will be controlled by occupant sensors, once tripped the ERV will run. We chose ERV to keep the indoor humidity in the space, as working knowledge indicates our spaces need to be between 40-60% relative humidity. We strive for 45% as our ideal. Why? Above 60% creates potential mold and below 40% enables viruses to travel further. The ERV will replace the running of the RTU fan, reducing energy consumption and deliver greater outside air than required by code.
We are holding off now on a UV light as our RTU’s run very minimally and the ERV will be bringing in the non-recirculated fresh air. These measures make our indoor air quality higher than required by code, limit the amount of recirculated air, and filter the air that is recirculated.
Every space and system are different and the exact implementation measures typically require someone with experience to help guide your selections. If your space had poor indoor air quality before the pandemic, a thorough audit of your system is warranted. The DMA audit focuses on what relative humidity can be maintained with your current equipment, increasing the amount of outside air to brought in, if better filters should be added to your system, if a standalone dedicated outside air system should be added to improve air quality and if anything has been overlooked that keeps your space from having the cleanest indoor air. If any of these are a concern to you, our team is ready to help you do the right thing for yourself, your families, your employees, and your business.
It’s never been more important to have the cleanest air possible.