Published:  3.2.2020

Indoor air problems are a constantly topical issue in Finland. They are present in many old office buildings, hospitals, schools and homes, and even new constructions are not immune to them.

Harri Anttila, building health specialist at indoor air quality monitoring service provider Sirate Oy, has been in the industry for two decades. He tells that the years have seen no shortage of work, as the problems appear to be endless.

“Indoor air problems are caused by the buildings themselves – their structures, design solutions and negligence in maintenance and repairs. The problems haven’t become more frequent in recent years. Rather, awareness of the issues has increased, at different times and in different ways across the country. People have also become sensitised to indoor air impurities, such as mould,” Anttila explains.

Still, mould is not the only issue affecting indoor air quality. Buildings may have poor ventilation, which is likely to cause a variety of symptoms in those exposed to bad indoor air.

Sirate Oy tackles indoor air problems with a new type of technology. The company uses Digita’s sensors and IoT network to monitor indoor air quality and structural conditions.

“Wireless sensors are installed to the property and transmit data to our MAIRI building condition measurement system.”

The collected research data is saved in the system and available to users in real time. The information can also be used to compile reports that present the results in an easily understood format.

“The IoT network allows for high-speed and stable data transfer,” Anttila explains.

Alarms as aid in monitoring

Precise measurements on the humidity, temperature, carbon dioxide content and differential pressure of building indoor air and structures are needed in order to predict and solve problems with indoor air quality. These variables are measured by sensors connected to the IoT network.

“The IoT network also alerts us if carbon dioxide content in a building rises above acceptable levels, for example. The alarm is sent to us by email, allowing us to respond quickly. In this case, we would next call a maintenance technician to visit the site and check whether ventilation has been switched off.”

Moisture sensors installed within structures, in turn, alert if abnormal conditions and the potential for microbial growth are formed in the structures.

“The alarms issued by these structural moisture sensors allow us to quickly inspect the situation and prevent potential mould growth.”

Differential pressure sensors, meanwhile, measure pressure differences between indoor and outdoor air.

“Air pressure differences should be as low as possible to avoid impurities from being transferred to indoor air through structures. With real-time monitoring, maintaining a balanced pressure differential is particularly straightforward,” Anttila says.

Measurements of indoor air and structures have received praise from clients.

“Our clients are pleased to have real-time information and control over indoor air conditions. Our cooperation with Digita has made it possible to collect reliable data on indoor air quality.”