Outdoor air quality has become increasingly topical in recent years with concerns around pollution, and its impact on us, frequently making headlines in the news cycle. It’s perhaps unsurprising that outdoor and indoor air quality are closely connected, yet many of us don’t fully understand the importance of good indoor air quality. We spend more than 85% of our time indoors – much of this in our own homes – so it’s worth taking the time to familiarise yourself with what you’re breathing in everyday and seeing where you can make improvements if needed.
To help us break it all down (pollutants included!), we sat down with Francesca Brady, CEO and Co-Founder of AirRated, the global benchmark for indoor air quality, to find out how we can help make our homes that little bit healthier.
Hi Francesca. Please could you explain what indoor air quality is and why it matters?
Indoor air quality (IAQ) describes the quality of air inside any built space, whether that’s a home, office or your favourite shop. IAQ can be affected by a range of factors, from external air pollution and ventilation to the building’s layout and the materials used to decorate and furnish the space.
IAQ is largely about the health, comfort and wellbeing of the people in the building, and it’s incredibly important because poor air quality can have a huge impact on your health and how you function. If you’ve ever spent too long in a meeting room at work that felt ‘stuffy’, it likely had poor ventilation. Poorly ventilated spaces lead to a build-up of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and pollutants called volatile organic gases (VOCs) - when this happens it can give you a headache and makes it hard for you to concentrate. Over a sustained period of exposure, some pollutants can also cause more serious, long-lasting damage to our vital organs and physiological systems, including airways, lungs and respiratory system, and even the heart.
How can I find out what the indoor air quality is in my home?
A good first step is to invest in IAQ sensors as this will help you to get a better understanding of the air quality within your home to see what areas need improvement. There are plenty of sensors on the market; just make sure that they monitor the key factors, in particular: temperature, humidity, CO₂ (carbon dioxide), VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and PM2.5 (fine particulate matter). Look for a sensor that comes with a companion app or dashboard as this will allow you to gain further contextual information about your IAQ data and will help you to understand whether you have specific issues in certain rooms.
If you’ve got major concerns about your home or feel you’re suffering from symptoms of poor air quality, it’s worth getting experts in to investigate further.
Do you have any easy suggestions for improving indoor air quality at home?
Some of the easiest improvements can come from simply eliminating or substituting simple things in your home.
A certain level of pollution in the home is inevitable, so buying a high-quality air purifier can be a really beneficial way to improve your IAQ. They work by trapping pollutants, filtering them and then releasing the clean air back into the room. I recommend choosing a system with HEPA filter technology and high CADR (clean air delivery rate), as this means the air will be filtered and redistributed more quickly.
And what do you recommend if I want to invest more time and money into improving my indoor air quality?
If you’re unsure about what is best for your home, or you need help with the data, always remember that there are professionals who will support you in finding the best improvement advice for your home and situation.
Other investment-worthy options are air purification and ventilation systems:
What benefits can I expect to see from making these changes?
There are so many benefits, from reducing the short-term symptoms of poor indoor air quality - such as headaches, blocked nose and poor sleep quality – to reducing the likelihood of developing the more serious long-term health issues associated with it.
If you work from home, you’ll see benefits in your concentration and productivity too. A study* found that when volunteers worked in well-ventilated conditions (with lower levels of CO₂ and VOCs), they scored 61% higher in cognitive tests than when they worked in typical office building conditions. And when they worked in the optimal conditions (with low CO₂ levels and higher ventilation rates), their scores climbed by 101%!
Thanks so much, Francesca!
* Read more about COGfx Global Buildings study here.
Francesca is the CEO and Co-Founder of AirRated, an indoor air quality (IAQ) certification company - creating the benchmark for IAQ. Formerly Head of Research, she was promoted to the role of CEO in 2020.
Francesca is focused on improving air quality and having conversations on the best way to foster healthier living and working environments. She is an advisory member for the Camden Clean Air Initiative, the BREEAM Health and Wellbeing technical group, a member of the International WELL Building Institute's Covid-19 Taskforce and is a regular speaker at universities, schools and industry conferences. Francesca is dedicated to promoting and educating audiences from all walks of life about the importance, benefits and management of good indoor air quality. She was honoured on the Forbes 30 under 30 list in 2021, Management Today's 35 under 35 in 2022 and the inaugural Stonehage Fleming XV (alongside Dame Catherine Bingham and Karen Blackett OBE to name a few) for her work with AirRated. airrated.co
