Integrated Sensor Air Quality Control System

Heating and cooling consume a huge percentage of the energy involved in running almost any business. Both are most efficient when on a closed cycle – that is, heating or cooling the air already inside the building. However, this means that carbon dioxide, and potentially other irritating or dangerous substances (mold spores, dust, volatile organic compounds such as formaldehyde, etc.) can build up to unhealthy concentrations. To prevent this, standard HVAC systems draw in air from the outside and heat or cool it to appropriate temperatures; this consumes far more energy than the closed cycle. Unfortunately, standard HVAC systems have no way to determine when the air inside is healthy or unhealthy, and thus always err on the side of caution, wasting a very significant percentage of the energy spent on heating and cooling.

IEM has developed and tested ISAQCS, our Integrated Sensor Air Quality Control System, to be easily installed into existing HVAC systems for commercial and industrial settings. Compatible with Building Automation Controllers through standardized data exchange standards such as BACnet, LONWorks, and MODBUS, ISAQCS consists of small plug-in wireless modules which can be placed anywhere in a building to track the air quality in each HVAC region and relay their data to a central coordinating controller unit which determines how and when the vents should be open or closed. Relay/repeater units can be placed to allow ISAQCS to cover a building of any size.

The current ISAQCS modules sense CO2 concentration, humidity, and some VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Other sensors can be added. The software for the central controlling unit can be customized to perform other functions, such as alerts for known bad air quality or a failure in the HVAC system when activated.