As people begin to go back to work and start to reoccupy buildings again there are many things that will begin to put in place for employee safety. But one main thing that should be considered in returning to workplaces is ventilation.

It is recommended that buildings should have a ventilation strategy. On the key principles cited in the UK Government’s COVID-19 return to work strategy, published on 11 May 2020, is to ‘Keep Indoor Places Well Ventilated’.

Having a ventilation strategy is a key at this time. Some buildings may have ventilation installed but no ventilation strategy, and some may have no ventilation at all.

Unfortunately opening and doors and windows is not enough as it does not provide the ideal air quality that a ventilation system can. Ventilation is key to providing good indoor air quality and will help combat the spread of air bourne viruses.

In a statement by Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer at Government’s COVID-19 press briefing on 29 April 2020 he said, “There is a definite truism across all of the science literature, that ventilation is a most critical part of reducing transmission from respiratory viruses.”

Lower Your Risk of Infection

It is proven that people are less likely to catch illnesses in rooms that are well ventilated compared to rooms that are not, this is due to the lower exposure time of harmful pollutants and viruses.

Having a controllable ventilation system is a particularly important way of diluting airborne pathogens and Co2 levels that will have great effects on things such as concentration, focus and can help conditions such as asthma and other respiratory conditions.

The risk of airborne infection can be reduced further by:
- Reducing time spent in the location
- Reducing airborne exposure concentration of infectious material
- Reducing risk of contact spread through regular handwashing, surface cleaning and reducing deposition of infectious particles.

Ventilation rate and effectiveness play a role in both airborne exposure and deposition rates.

-CIBSE Covid Ventilation Guidance Version 2

You can read the CISBE Covid Ventilation Guide PDF here.

Ventilation Solutions for Home

We have a large range of ventilation systems for home installation. Due to the population currently having to spend more time indoors is it the perfect time to begin improving your indoor air quality. Having good indoor air quality is essential to you and your family’s health.

We have systems from single room to whole house systems that are easily installed to new builds or renovation projects. Check out or range of domestic MVHR units.

Ventilation Solutions for Work

We have ventilation systems suitable for any sizes of commercial premises. The indoor climate is of the highest importance in workplaces as most of us spend the greater part of our working lives indoors. Ventilation in workplaces will ensure good air quality which can aid in higher productivity levels, optimal concentration and better mind focus with supply of fresh air with thermal comfort.

Check out more about commercial ventilation solutions in our knowledge centre.

Indoor Air quality

Indoor air quality can be up to 5 times worse than outdoor air quality. The below image outlines examples of indoor and outdoor pollutants.

Existing Ventilation Systems

Previously installed systems should be maintained or serviced regularly  

Heat recovery units contain filters which will help to clean anything from the outside from entering your home. Clogged filters are not believed to worsen the transferral of Covid, but clogged filters will affect the airflow and use of a ventilation systems, and therefore this will have a knock on affect of poor indoor air quality which is where problems can arise.

If you already have a ventilation system in place, we recommend that now is the time to service it to ensure that is it working correctly and to the best of its ability. To maintain your system we recommended that you clean and change your filters, ensure all connections are sealed well with no air leaks, and ensure valves and grilles are cleaned from dust and dirt. For more information on maintaining your MVHR system check out our article ‘Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery Maintenance’.

Heat Recovery Vs Air Conditioning

An Air conditioning system will not improve your air quality or lower your risk

Heat recovery is much different to air conditioning as heat recovery filters, cleans and heats/cools the air.

Air condition systems recirculate the air in a building and do not supply fresh air into a building.

Here at BPC, our ventilation systems do not recirculate air, in heat recovery systems only the heat is used to warm the new air while any extract air is extract to outside meaning there is no recirculated through the building. In ducts and manifolds there is no cross contamination of airflows as the supply and extract airflows are completely separate.

For more information on ventilation in Educational Buildings check out our blog ‘The Importance of Ventilation in Educational buildings’.

Our ventilation systems for home or work can be fitted to any building, whether new or existing. Get in touch with our teams today to see what ventilation best suits you. Contact us today on 028 2827 5150 / +353 1526 7452 to find out more!