AI ensures safe indoor air and diminishes virus spreading

In my career, I estimate I’ve participated in about 8,800 meetings.

During those meetings, I’ve spent more than 13,200 hours with other people.

I remember the stale air in those stuffy meeting rooms. And every time I have felt relieved when I managed to leave those meetings and finally get some fresh air.

Currently, most of us don’t even meet physically for meetings.

However, according to a Finnish study, about 0.5 million Finnish employees have suffered from poor indoor air. This translates to 15% of the Finnish workforce working in a sub-quality indoor environment.

Finnish daily Helsingin Sanomat recently reported a study that found a connection between effective ventilation and virus reduction.

According to statistics, we breathe the cleanest air in the world in Finland. In addition to that, we are one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world.

Despite the cleanest air badge and our technological advancements, Finland’s poor indoor air quality continues to feature in the news. In addition, this poor indoor air quality assists in spreading viruses more effectively.

Poorly tuned HVAC system causes indoor air problems and excessive energy consumption.

Even the best and most modern HVAC and building automation systems won’t guarantee good indoor air if they are not monitored properly. The same is also caused if their setup, testing, and fine-tuning have been insufficient in the first place.

The tight schedule most often causes the deficient HVAC and automation systems in the construction phase. The transition of systems is often too hasty from the BMS contractor to the maintenance. This may lead to a situation where the maintenance and building management are not familiar enough with the existing BMS and settings, and they are neglecting continuous usage of the system. This may result in inefficient ventilation, incorrect pressure differential levels relative to the occupancy rate, bad indoor air quality, and poor energy efficiency.

Typically, the problem is solved by inviting an indoor expert to the premises to assess the situation. Post assessment, a property manager receives a report with suggested areas of improvement or additional investments needed. The report can often cost upwards of ten thousand euros and is not updated in real-time.

AI automates troubleshooting and ensures the best possible air quality.

Nuuka has therefore developed an AI-based diagnostic application for ventilation that analyses facilities constantly and flags all errors by instantly sending property management reports.

When air quality deteriorates, property managers and facility managers receive reports in real-time, including diagnostics and reasons for the fall in air quality.

Nuuka’s AI application optimizes and updates the building ventilation, pressure ratios, and set points in real-time. The application ensures that ventilation works optimally by reducing unnecessary energy consumption.

As a result, by utilizing Nuuka’s application, indoor room temperatures and carbon dioxide levels can be enhanced according to our needs during the pandemic and beyond. These optimized indoor air conditions often result in improved end-user experience and safety.

The best possible indoor air quality not only means better cognitive performance but results in less sick leave. Thus, when we finally get back to the offices with a larger group, we can ensure a fresh and safe work environment where it is a pleasure to work together.

Tuomas Pippola, CEO of Nuuka