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According to the 2019 Global Coworking Survey, 90% of all profitable coworking spaces have over 200 members. In addition, the 2019 State of Coworking study found that coworking spaces have an average of 90 members, and that only 11% have 300 or more members. Having plenty of clients not only increases revenue: they also create […]
The most successful companies in the world follow research data to improve their employees’ productivity. That includes office environment. An office environment can be described using measurable and subjective factors. The former could be, for example, indoor temperature, the concentration of air pollutants, or noise. The latter refers to how the workplace is perceived by employees. Scientific […]
Landlords and property managers, when considering energy efficiency solutions for their buildings, need to assess the payback time and return on investment. Thus, it’s essential for them to predict accurately how much energy will be saved after changes will be made. So the industry, architects, engineers, and energy modelers, instead of “hoping for the best” or […]
Open-plan offices have become very popular in recent decades, and in great part they were popularized by the high-tech companies of Silicon Valley. According to these companies, an open-plan office removes physical barriers to promote more communication and collaboration among employees. Real estate costs also drop by around 20% with open-plan offices, and this has […]
Thermal comfort is a complex topic, which involves both measurable data and subjective factors. Modern heating and air conditioning systems can control indoor temperatures very accurately. However, finding a temperature that makes everyone comfortable is difficult. This is especially true for office buildings, which may have hundreds or thousands of occupants, of different genders and […]
“Artificial intelligence” is everywhere in marketing materials and trade shows related to smart buildings. It’s true, Ai plays a key role in energy management, in HVAC management in particular as heating, cooling and ventilation are one of the largest energy consumers in most buildings, representing as much as 50-60% of the total energy consumption. Better […]
Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound (VOC) whose molecules are composed of one carbon atom, one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms – its chemical formula is CH2O. It is a colorless gas at room temperature, but can be detected due to its pungent smell and suffocating effect. In general, formaldehyde is produced when hydrocarbons […]
A well-designed ventilation system is fundamental for energy efficiency and indoor air quality in buildings. Air pollutants accumulate when ventilation is too low, but an excessive ventilation airflow represents a waste of energy. Ideally, a ventilation system should keep pollutants at safe levels, while achieving the lowest operating cost possible. This can be achieved by […]
Most people think of building management systems merely as a means to improve the energy and resource efficiency of buildings and offices. However, research reported in two recent news articles has raised an enticing possibility: Intentional building management may also be a means to increase the productivity of workers. The New York Times article “Is Conference […]
Quick Navigation Particulate MatterMold & Other FungiVolatile Organic CompoundsTrichloroethylene (C2HCl3)Formaldehyde (CH2O)Benzene (C6H6)Xylene (C8H10)Pet DanderDust MitesPollenOzone (O3)Ammonia (NH3)Carbon Monoxide (CO)RadonLeadArsenicAsbestosMake The Invisible, Visible One of the key elements of indoor air quality (IAQ) is keeping pollutant levels under control. There are many substances that degrade air quality, each generated from different sources and producing a distinct […]
What are the airborne pollutants tracked by governments? What are the threshold limit values, why do they vary? This article shows how much we need for a global air quality standard…
Furniture, clothing and many other products used in households are exposed to noxious chemicals during their manufacturing process. These chemicals can be absorbed by various types of surfaces, especially porous materials, and many are classified as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. These substances are notorious for causing irritation and allergic reactions in humans, and have […]
Air purifiers improve the quality of the air you breathe, as implied by their name. Although their common goal is to eliminate harmful substances from the air, there are many viable methods to accomplish this, including mechanical filtering, ionization, and chemical methods.Mechanical filtering is the simplest method, since its consists on trapping airborne particles without […]
Foobot is one of several indoor air quality monitors to reach store shelves in recent years. But in the science and HVAC worlds, devices have been measuring air quality for decades. Being professional-grade, these older devices are incredibly accurate and reliable… but expensive. Decent ones start around $5,000 while many others cost multiples of that. Home […]
The Foobot indoor air quality monitor was built as a friendly part of the family. The white box checks the air constantly to check for pollutants in one’s home, keeps track of the levels over time, and alerts a building’s occupants when they’re in danger. It lights up blue when it’s happy and orange when […]
For once, we’ll discuss outdoor air quality – we spend most of our time indoors, but outdoor air quality is also important for many reasons. Building ventilation systems draw air from outdoors to replenish indoor air, and we are of course exposed while commuting or taking a walk. This is not a breaking news, outdoor […]
There are many ways in which technology can be deployed to enhance indoor air quality (IAQ), including ventilation system upgrades, humidity controls, air filtering, or recently smart home automation. So, why improve air quality with… just plants? As NASA found out in their space stations, the use of indoor plants** offers some exclusive benefits that […]
De Mystifying The Invisible Enemy In Every Building Understanding what indoor pollutants are and the specifics of indoor environmentsDownload the Whitepaper PDF What’s in the whitepaper?In this 16 pages guide, you’ll learn: What’s the difference between good and poor air What the different types of indoor pollutants areThe different technologies for air sensorsThe close relationship between […]
“It was the best day of my life,” Sigrid laughed. “I finally knew the cause of my breathing problems.”She spoke of the day she was diagnosed with asthma.Before that day, when she would get an attack, she didn’t know how bad it would get because she didn’t know what was going on. Now she knew […]
The Growing Need of Data in Managing Indoor Air Quality Your starting point to become an indoor air quality expert What’s in the whitepaper?In this 16 pages guide, you’ll learn: The basics about indoor pollution The different sorts of pollutants and their sourcesThe current […]
Today, the well-known automation web service IFTTT disclosed a big new feature: the ability to create IFTTT recipes on the fly from within a 3rd party smartphone app.Foobot has the privilege to be one of the 14 apps running IFTTT in-app for its launch.At first, it’s not necessarily obvious why this is going to improve […]
Up to now, ventilation was quite boring: a regular flux of air, and a boost mode. Whenever your kitchen was full of smoke, you would have the boost mode activated. End of the story. With the new Nest+Foobot feature, your ventilation system is going to be slightly exciting.
Find out about the different indoor air pollution sources, which can come from the furniture, cleaning products, hygiene products, kitchen appliances, among others.
What impact have Temperature & Humidity on the indoor air pollution spread?Here’s a simple infographic to explain you all.
Check our new infographic and get the answers to the questions: What is this? What are its sources? What are PM’s types and sizes? What are the symptoms related to PM exposure?
What are Volatile Organic Compounds (aka VOCs)? What are its sources? What type of VOCs we can find? What are the symptoms related to VOCs exposure? How to filter it?
Everybody knows that outdoor air is highly polluted all over the world. But what about indoor air?Check out this infographic based on World Health Organization’s studies. Have safe breathing days!#Foobot #Goodairguru