As we stand on the threshold of conducting the 6^th edition of the World IEQ Forum, with the primary intention of focusing on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), the mind goes back to the 4^th edition – of how proponents of the need for better IAQ struggled to make much headway amidst the dominant narrative of energy efficiency. Even those that tried to forcefully make a statement, leaned on the need to lower the presence of carbon dioxide and radon, among other pollutants, in the built-environment.

Beyond a shadow of doubt, the pandemic has forced a shift in narrative – to the extent that there are those that are coming out and openly saying that IAQ can no longer be ignored, even if it means an increase in energy consumption. Quite unthinkable till Q1 2020, when the pandemic began to make incursions into national borders across the globe, they are actively suggesting that the onus is on the industry to find ways and means for greater energy efficiency to counterbalance the “obvious need for spending more energy to ensure cleaner indoor air”.

Surendar Balakrishnan

Take the example of Dr Patrick Shiel of Stanford University, who in collaboration with Siemens conducted a study in the spring of 2021 in Vienna, Austria. He concluded that building running costs could “increase by up to 28%, if the guidance on higher levels of ventilation and fresh air flushing is adhered to”. Unlike in the past, where advocates of the need for greater IAQ stopped short of saying that the increase in energy use ought to be accepted, Dr Shiel went on to state that the world ought to explore how to make up for the increase.

Quoting the same study, he said that the researchers had made inroads into possibilities and that through applying advanced Machine Learning (ML) techniques and energy modelling, they were able to reduce energy usage by 24%. They also examined the impact of district cooling on energy usage and concluded that it led to a further decrease in energy usage by nine per cent.

The 6^th edition of the World IEQ Forum is committed to the need for “extraordinary IAQ”. As CPI Industry and Climate Control Middle East magazine, we acknowledge that the globe is substantially invested in the drive towards greater energy efficiency and that it is vitally important to curb energy use in the built-environment to not only lower greenhouse gas emissions but also to optimise the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in an increasingly fragile financial environment.

We believe the solution lies in coexistence of the quest for greater energy efficiency and enhanced IAQ. It is imperative to usher in a transformation of thought, to explore greater acceptance of IAQ; and for this, the world’s scientists, engineers and policy-makers must focus on greater innovation, collaboration, coordination and sustained engagement towards achieving the goal of greater reduction in energy use.

We can’t wait for March 16, when speakers from around the world will gather at the Sweden Pavilion of the World Expo – the venue of the Forum – for what are likely to be talks of an extremely crucial nature.