As a major new study asserts the importance of lower CO2 levels in providing comfortable and healthy workplaces, Priva has called attention to its variety of solutions which enable the effective management and monitoring of primary building systems, including air conditioning and ventilation.
The new report, led by Oxford Brookes University and LCMB Building Performance and issued in December 2018, contends that CO2 levels in offices are “silently damaging UK productivity”.
Monitoring levels and testing workers continually over a two-year period, the study showed that personnel are able to work up to 60 per cent faster in environments with lower CO2 concentrations. In addition, increased intake of CO2 can lead to poor decision-making, slower reaction times and greater tiredness.
With an increasing number of days lost to ill health each year in the UK, the report highlights the need for building owners and facilities managers to review the impact that primary building systems can have on employee wellbeing. Alongside lighting, heating and noise control, effective air monitoring and management technology should be a priority for any new-build or retrofit project.
Priva is again ahead of the curve here as it has spent many years developing a product family that offers powerful control and monitoring of key building systems. Its Touchpoint One technology – which allows users to adjust room conditions, including heating and cooling, via a user interface – constitutes the latest generation of powerful and aesthetically-pleasing operating units.
The unit clearly highlights the status of CO2 levels with the help of clear graphical ‘traffic light’ icons: a green smiley face, indicating healthy CO2 levels, a straight-faced amber, and an unhappy red face when air quality levels are poor.
Recent data published by the UK’s Office for National Statistics indicates that UK productivity is 26.2 per cent lower than in Germany based on GDP per hour worked. As the UK moves into a uncertain economic period, there will inevitably be an onus on all organisations – public and private – to do everything they can to maximise output.
“Providing workplaces with lower CO2 levels is one of the most direct routes possible to improving employee health and wellbeing and boosting output,” says Priva UK & Ireland sales manager, Gavin Holvey. “At Priva, we stand ready to assist all types of enterprise that wish to prioritise CO2 control with guidance and a host of cost-effective systems that can help them to monitor and manage air quality quickly and efficiently.”