The Hidden Benefits of Designing HVAC Systems with IAQP
Ventilation is often viewed as an HVAC decision. In reality, it can become a building-wide decision.
The amount of outdoor air a project is designed to deliver influences far more than energy consumption. It affects equipment selection, structural requirements, ductwork, construction schedules, labor, and the long-term flexibility of a building. In other words, the cost of ventilation extends well beyond the energy required to condition outdoor air.
That’s why the Indoor Air Quality Procedure (IAQP) deserves to be viewed through a broader lens. While it’s often discussed as a way to reduce HVAC energy consumption, its greatest value may be the infrastructure it helps projects avoid in the first place.
Every Ventilation Decision Has a Ripple Effect
Every increase in outdoor airflow creates a ripple effect throughout a project.
More outdoor air means more heating and cooling capacity. More capacity can mean larger air handlers or rooftop units, larger coils, increased fan horsepower, and greater electrical demand. As those systems grow, so do many of the building systems that support them.
Suddenly, the conversation is no longer just about HVAC equipment.
It may include larger ductwork, expanded shafts, additional structural steel, roof reinforcement, more electrical infrastructure, and greater coordination between mechanical, structural, and architectural teams.
Each of those decisions carries its own cost, schedule implications, and construction complexity. Ventilation decisions create a cascade of impacts that extend well beyond the mechanical room.
When IAQP allows engineers to reduce ventilation loads through a combination of outdoor air and localized air contaminant removal, the benefits can extend throughout the entire project.
Looking Beyond the Air Handler
The first place many teams see value is equipment sizing.
Lower ventilation loads may allow projects to reduce heating and cooling capacity, helping right-size air handlers, rooftop units, coils, fans, and supporting electrical systems. While every project is different, these changes can influence first cost before the building is ever occupied.
Unlike energy savings, which are realized over the life of the building, right-sized equipment can reduce costs immediately. Avoiding larger HVAC equipment, additional electrical capacity, or structural modifications can have a meaningful impact on the project’s initial budget while continuing to deliver operational savings for years to come.
But equipment is only one piece of the equation.
Smaller systems may also reduce the need for structural reinforcement, oversized ductwork, larger shafts, or additional coordination between trades. Less infrastructure can mean less material, fewer installation hours, and fewer opportunities for conflicts during construction.
Reducing mechanical scope may also simplify procurement, shorten installation timelines, reduce coordination between project teams, and help projects reach occupancy sooner. These schedule benefits can be just as valuable as the energy savings that often receive the most attention.
Why Existing Buildings Stand to Gain the Most
These downstream benefits become even more apparent in renovation projects.
Many existing buildings were designed decades ago around different ventilation requirements and physical constraints. Mechanical rooms are often full. Ductwork is already in place. Roof structures have finite capacity. Electrical service may have little room for expansion. Improving indoor air quality in these buildings can quickly become an infrastructure challenge rather than simply an HVAC challenge.
IAQP doesn’t eliminate those constraints, nor is it the right solution for every project. But it can provide engineers with another compliant design pathway that may reduce the amount of new infrastructure required to achieve a project’s indoor air quality objectives.
Instead of assuming major mechanical renovations are the only path forward, project teams have another option to evaluate.
Mechanical Systems Don’t Exist in Isolation
Mechanical systems compete with every other part of a building for space.
Larger air handlers require larger mechanical rooms. Higher airflow often means larger ductwork and shafts that consume valuable ceiling space while increasing coordination with lighting, plumbing, fire protection, and structural systems.
When ventilation loads are reduced, project teams may gain additional flexibility in how building space is used. That can mean smaller mechanical rooms, less rooftop congestion, cleaner ceiling layouts, or more usable square footage. In renovation projects where space is already constrained, those design advantages can become just as important as the mechanical savings themselves.
The Benefits Continue Long After Construction
The effects of right-sizing a system don’t stop once a building is occupied.
Less infrastructure can simplify future equipment replacements, reduce maintenance complexity, and lower future capital costs. Smaller systems may also be easier to service and upgrade as building needs evolve.
As equipment costs, labor availability, and utility rates continue to change, buildings designed around lower ventilation loads may also be better positioned to adapt over time.
These advantages rarely appear in an energy model, but they can have a meaningful impact on the total cost of owning and operating a building.
A Broader Way to Think About IAQP
Energy savings remain one of the most compelling reasons to evaluate IAQP, but they shouldn’t be the only reason.
The larger opportunity is often found in the infrastructure a project never has to build.
By reducing ventilation loads, IAQP may help projects reduce or avoid:
Oversized HVAC equipmentÂ
Structural reinforcementÂ
Expanded ductwork and shaftsÂ
Additional electrical infrastructureÂ
Construction labor and coordinationÂ
Future replacement costsÂ
The real value of IAQP isn’t simply reducing the cost of conditioning outdoor air. It’s reducing the cascade of infrastructure and costs that ventilation decisions can create throughout the design, construction, and operation of a building.
Put IAQP Into Practice
Every building presents a different set of challenges, from new construction projects balancing first cost to existing facilities working within the constraints of aging infrastructure. That’s why evaluating IAQP isn’t about applying a one-size-fits-all solution. It’s about understanding where it makes sense and how it can create value.
At Fellowes, we work with engineers, contractors, and building owners to evaluate IAQP opportunities through project-specific analyses. Our Sales Application Engineers can review project drawings, identify where IAQP may be an effective design strategy, quantify potential benefits, and provide the documentation needed to support informed design decisions.
Whether you’re exploring IAQP for a new project or looking for practical solutions in an existing building, we’re here to help.
Commissioning is an important milestone in any indoor air quality strategy.
It helps verify that the systems and solutions supporting IAQ are installed properly, operating as intended, and aligned with performance goals.
For many buildings, that includes HVAC system performance, ventilation strategy, air cleaning technologies, and IAQ monitoring.
But commissioning is only the starting point.
Once a building is occupied, performance becomes dynamic. Occupancy shifts. Space usage changes. Layouts evolve. Outdoor conditions fluctuate.
Even well-performing spaces can change over time.
That’s why long-term IAQ success depends on more than initial verification. It depends on ongoing validation.
Validation Creates Confidence
A space may perform exactly as expected on day one.
But how is it performing six months later? One year later?
Without visibility into ongoing conditions, it becomes difficult to know whether systems and strategies are continuing to perform as intended.
Continuous validation helps answer important questions:
Are IAQ targets still being met?Â
Are ventilation strategies supporting current occupancy patterns?Â
Have operational changes impacted performance?Â
The goal is not to create more complexity. It’s to make performance easier to understand. Ongoing visibility helps teams confirm systems are operating as intended, validate improvements, and identify potential issues earlier.
Measuring Improvement Over Time
Validation also makes improvement measurable.
When teams can continuously monitor indoor air quality, they gain a clearer understanding of how spaces perform over time and how conditions respond to operational changes.
That visibility helps shift IAQ from assumption to measurable performance.
Instead of asking, Did that adjustment help? Teams can see the impact.
Whether improving ventilation strategies, adjusting occupancy use, or introducing air purification in targeted areas, ongoing visibility helps teams validate results and make better-informed decisions.
Spaces Change
Buildings rarely stay static.
Conference rooms become collaboration hubs. Offices are reconfigured. Occupancy patterns shift by department, season, or schedule.
As spaces evolve, IAQ strategies may need to evolve too.
The ability to see how spaces are changing helps teams respond proactively.
Sometimes that means identifying a recurring issue before complaints arise.
Sometimes it means confirming that a space is continuing to perform exactly as intended.
Both are equally valuable.
Making Validation Easier with Array
Ongoing validation should not feel complicated or burdensome.
Array simplifies ongoing IAQ validation by combining continuous monitoring, air purification, and centralized visibility into one connected platform.
With a real-time data and intuitive cloud-based dashboard, Fellowes Array Viewpoint, teams can monitor trends, track performance, and identify changes across spaces with greater ease.
Rather than relying on periodic spot checks or reactive troubleshooting, teams gain a clearer picture of how spaces are performing every day.
That visibility makes it easier to identify issues, validate improvements, and make informed adjustments over time.
Commissioning Starts the Process
Commissioning establishes performance.
Validation helps sustain it.
The strongest IAQ strategies are built around continuous insight, measurable performance, and the ability to adapt as buildings change.
Because better IAQ is not just about reaching a target.
How phased IAQ strategies can support existing HVAC systems over time
Existing HVAC systems are being asked to support higher expectations around indoor air quality, energy performance, operational visibility, and occupant experience than ever before. But improving building performance does not always require full HVAC replacement.
For engineers working in existing buildings, modernization can rarely happen all at once. Improvements are often phased over time based on budget cycles, renovation schedules, operational priorities, and infrastructure limitations.
That is where phased IAQ strategies can create opportunity for overall building performance.
Some facilities begin with monitoring. Others prioritize mitigation in high-impact areas where monitoring has identified more immediate needs. Some combine connected and standalone solutions across different parts of a building based on operational needs, infrastructure readiness, or project scope.
Building performance improvements do not have to follow a single path.
Instead of approaching modernization as a single large-scale overhaul, engineers can implement targeted improvements that evolve alongside the building itself. From IAQ monitoring and localized air purification to connected building integration, phased strategies can help improve indoor environmental performance while preserving existing HVAC infrastructure and minimizing disruption.
Improving building performance does not always require full HVAC replacement.
Start with Visibility Through IAQ Monitoring
Before major HVAC changes happen, understanding how a building is currently performing is incredibly beneficial.
Indoor air quality monitoring helps engineers and facility teams establish performance baselines and identify areas of concern across a space. Monitoring solutions like Fellowes Array Signal track conditions such as particulate matter (PM), carbon dioxide (COâ‚‚), humidity, temperature, and TVOCs to provide clearer insight into building conditions throughout the day.
In many existing building projects, this visibility becomes the foundation for future decision-making.
IAQ monitoring can help validate ventilation assumptions, uncover performance gaps, and support more informed conversations around airflow, occupancy, filtration, and energy-intensive ventilation strategies without requiring immediate changes to HVAC equipment.
For facilities looking to improve transparency across spaces, centralized platforms like Array Viewpoint can help teams visualize indoor air quality conditions over time while supporting long-term IAQ management.
Address Indoor Air Quality Challenges Strategically
Not every indoor air quality challenge requires a full HVAC redesign. Supplemental IAQ strategies, including localized air purification, can help engineers address specific performance concerns while working within the constraints of an existing building.
Connected solutions like Fellowes Array combine localized air purification with integrated IAQ monitoring and connected data visibility to help improve indoor air quality closer to the source without requiring extensive ductwork modifications, large-scale HVAC disruption, or increased dependence on energy-intensive ventilation strategies. Ceiling-mounted, recessed, wall-mounted, and portable configurations also provide flexibility for spaces with varying infrastructure limitations.
Conference rooms, classrooms, healthcare waiting areas, fitness centers, and collaborative spaces often experience different airflow and contaminant challenges than surrounding areas. A phased implementation approach allows improvements to happen space by space based on need or project scope.
For facilities that may not require a fully connected system, non-networked solutions like AeraMax Pro can support targeted indoor air quality improvements while complementing broader HVAC and IAQ strategies.
Connect IAQ Data into HVAC and Building Operations
As buildings continue to evolve, many phased IAQ strategies expand beyond standalone improvements into broader operational integration.
Connecting indoor air quality monitoring into a Building Management System (BMS) gives engineers and facility teams centralized visibility into how ventilation, occupancy, and environmental conditions interact throughout a facility.
Through BACnet/IP integration capabilities, systems like Fellowes Array can help connect IAQ insights into broader building operations, allowing teams to better align HVAC performance, ventilation strategies, and operational efficiency with real-world indoor environmental conditions.
Not every facility requires the same level of connectivity across every space. Some buildings may benefit from fully networked IAQ systems tied into centralized dashboards and BMS platforms, while others may prioritize standalone air purification in targeted environments. Some facilities use a combination of connected and non-connected solutions based on operational goals and infrastructure realities.
Improving Building Performance Does Not Have to Follow a Single Path
One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding building modernization is that every improvement needs to happen simultaneously.
In reality, many buildings evolve in phases. The priorities, pace, and combination of solutions often depend on a facility’s operational goals, budget limitations, infrastructure realities, renovation timelines, and long-term building strategy.
For engineers designing within the realities of existing buildings, phased IAQ strategies offer flexibility without sacrificing progress while also creating opportunities to support broader operational, energy, and indoor air quality goals over time.
Because improving building performance is not always about starting over, but making smarter use of the systems already in place while creating a clearer path toward future HVAC evolution.
Moving Forward Starts with Understanding the Space
Every building starts from a different place.
Some facilities may need better visibility into indoor air quality conditions. Others may be evaluating targeted mitigation strategies, phased upgrades, or opportunities to better connect IAQ data into existing building operations.
To help support those early planning conversations, Fellowes offers the IAQ Equipment Estimator, an online tool designed to give engineers, and facility teams a preliminary snapshot of potential equipment scope, estimated investment ranges, and different levels of indoor air quality performance based on the needs of their space.
Rather than jumping immediately into a full HVAC redesign conversation, the IAQ Equipment Estimator helps teams evaluate what phased IAQ improvements could look like across different areas of a facility, from essential mitigation strategies to broader comprehensive plans.
And because every building operates differently, the results are designed to start the conversation, not finish it. Our team can help review assumptions, validate recommendations, and refine strategies based on facility layout, operational conditions, investment, and indoor air quality goals.
There’s been a lot of discussion around ASHRAE 62.1, 241 and what it means for building design.Â
But for many teams, the bigger question is:
What’s the difference—and what does it mean for how clean air is delivered in a space?
We broke it down in a recent white paper. Here are seven takeaways worth understanding before your next project.
1. Focus Shifts from Ventilation to Clean Air Delivery
ASHRAE 62.1 is built around ventilation strategies that prioritize outdoor air to maintain acceptable indoor air quality.
ASHRAE 241 introduces a different metric: Equivalent Clean Airflow (ECAi)—which accounts for all sources of clean air and ties performance more directly to the occupant.
This shifts how performance is evaluated, from system-level airflow to occupant-level outcomes.
2. Clean Air Requirements Increase During Elevated Risk Conditions
ASHRAE 241 is activated during periods of elevated risk through Infection Risk Management Mode (IRMM).
During these conditions, required clean airflow increases significantly—often several times higher than baseline ventilation targets.
This is where many existing systems begin to fall short.
3. Most 62.1-Compliant Systems Will Require Additional Strategies
Even when a system is fully compliant with 62.1, it may not meet 241 targets during IRMM.
This gap becomes clearer when you look at real-world scenarios.
In a typical classroom scenario: (900 square feet, 20 students)
62.1 Requirement:Â Â ~308 CFM from baseline ventilationÂ
241 Target (During IRMM)Â ~800 CFM required under 241Â
~492 CFM gapÂ
Closing that gap is where design decisions start to shift.
4. Increasing Outdoor Air Isn’t Always the Most Practical Solution
One approach is to increase outdoor air through the HVAC system.
But doing so can introduce tradeoffs—higher energy demand, system limitations, and longer implementation timelines. In existing buildings especially, those constraints can limit what’s feasible.
This is why many teams look beyond ventilation alone.
5. ASHRAE 241 Allows Multiple Paths to Compliance
The standard does not prescribe a single solution.
Clean air can be delivered through a combination of:
Outdoor air ventilationÂ
Filtered recirculated airÂ
Air-cleaning devicesÂ
As long as the required ECAi is achieved, different strategies can be used to meet the target.
6. In-Room Air Cleaning Can Help Close the Gap
Because in-room air cleaning devices contribute directly to Equivalent Clean Airflow through validated CADR values, it can be used to help address gaps identified in 241 calculations.
Solutions like Fellowes Array are designed to support this approach—adding localized, measurable clean air while working alongside existing HVAC systems, rather than requiring them to carry the full load.
7. Measurement and Verification Are Part of the Standard
ASHRAE 241 places greater emphasis on calculation, verification, and operational practices to ensure performance is achieved and maintained over time.
Tools like the Equivalent Clean Airflow Calculator (ECAC) help teams:
Define targetsÂ
Quantify system contributionsÂ
Confirm whether requirements are metÂ
This brings more transparency into how air quality is designed and validated.
Get the Full Breakdown
These are the high-level takeaways—but the details are where design decisions come together.
The full white paper walks through:
Side-by-side comparisons of ASHRAE 62.1 and 241Â
ECAi calculations and methodologiesÂ
Implementation scenarios across different building typesÂ
How systems like Fellowes Array contribute to complianceÂ
Why wildfire smoke is becoming a condition engineers must plan for
For decades, HVAC systems have been designed around semi-predictable environmental conditions: seasonal temperatures, humidity levels, and typical outdoor air quality.
Wildfire smoke has begun to change those assumptions.
In recent years, smoke from major wildfire events has traveled hundreds, even thousands of miles, affecting air quality across large regions of North America. Communities far from the flames are now experiencing days or even weeks where outdoor particulate levels rise dramatically.
During major smoke events, outdoor PM2.5 concentrations can exceed 200 µg/m³ — far above levels typically assumed in HVAC design conditions.
For building operators and engineers, this creates a new reality.
Wildfire smoke is no longer just an environmental event reserved for certain areas of the country. It is becoming a condition that all building systems must be prepared to handle.
When outdoor air becomes the problem
Ventilation remains one of the most important tools for maintaining indoor air quality. Bringing outdoor air into buildings helps dilute indoor contaminants and support healthier environments for occupants.
But wildfire smoke introduces a complication.
During smoke events, outdoor air can carry extremely high concentrations of fine particulate matter, particularly PM2.5, which can easily infiltrate buildings through ventilation systems, openings in the building envelope, and occupant traffic.
This creates a difficult balancing act for facility teams. The same ventilation systems designed to improve indoor air quality can become the pathway through which smoke enters the building.
The question is no longer simply how much outdoor air to bring in. It is how buildings should operate when outdoor air quality suddenly deteriorates.
HVAC systems considerations for smoke events
Wildfire smoke is no longer an occasional anomaly for building systems. In many regions, it has become a recurring seasonal condition that engineers and facility teams must plan for.
Instead of treating smoke events as temporary disruptions, building design increasingly needs to account for how systems will respond when outdoor air becomes the primary source of contamination.
Designing for this reality does not mean abandoning ventilation strategies. Instead, it means considering how buildings can adapt when outdoor air quality deteriorates. This may include exploring alternative ventilation approaches, strengthening filtration strategies, and incorporating systems that allow buildings to respond dynamically to changing environmental conditions.
This shift also aligns with the growing industry discussion around performance-based ventilation approaches, where indoor air quality outcomes are monitored and verified rather than relying solely on fixed outdoor air rates. As environmental conditions become more variable, HVAC strategies that combine ventilation, filtration, and real-time performance insight are becoming increasingly valuable.
Approaches may include:
specifying filtration capable of capturing fine particulate matterÂ
ensuring building systems can adjust ventilation strategies when outdoor air quality deterioratesÂ
incorporating always-on indoor air quality monitoring to guide operational decisionsÂ
using localized air purification to support HVAC systems in occupied zonesÂ
These strategies allow buildings to maintain healthy indoor environments while preserving ventilation and energy performance during normal conditions.
Monitoring enables smarter responses
One of the most challenging aspects of wildfire smoke events is how quickly conditions can change.
Outdoor air quality can shift hour by hour as smoke plumes move across regions. Without visibility into indoor conditions, facility teams may have little insight into how those changes are affecting the building.
Indoor air quality monitoring provides the data needed to respond more effectively.
With real-time insight into particulate levels and other key indicators, building operators can better understand when smoke is entering the building, how indoor conditions are changing, and whether mitigation strategies are working.
Networked monitoring platforms can help make this information accessible across a building or portfolio. For example, connected sensors can feed indoor air quality data into dashboards such as Fellowes Array Viewpoint, allowing facility teams to track trends, visualize conditions, and respond more quickly when outdoor smoke begins impacting indoor environments.
This visibility allows operators to make informed decisions about ventilation adjustments, filtration strategies, and other operational responses during smoke events.
Read about how two different buildings utilized monitoring through a wildfire event.
A layered approach to protecting indoor environments
Because wildfire smoke presents a complex challenge, many buildings are adopting layered strategies to protect indoor environments.
Rather than relying on a single intervention, effective responses typically combine several elements.
Enhanced filtrationÂ
Higher-efficiency HVAC filters help capture fine particulate matter before it circulates through occupied spaces.Â
Localized air purificationÂ
Targeted air cleaning systems can help reduce particulate levels in critical or high-occupancy areas.Â
Operational adjustmentsÂ
Facility teams may temporarily adjust ventilation strategies when outdoor air quality deteriorates.Â
Continuous monitoringÂ
Indoor air quality sensors provide the insight needed to guide these decisions in real time.Â
When these strategies work together, buildings are better equipped to respond to rapidly changing conditions. Networked air quality solutions, such as Fellowes Array, can support this layered approach by combining localized air purification with real-time monitoring and centralized data visibility, helping facility teams understand how indoor environments are performing during smoke events.
Layered IAQ strategies are becoming an important part of designing buildings that can respond to changing outdoor air conditions.
For a deeper look at the system capabilities that support wildfire smoke mitigation—including monitoring, filtration, and zoned purification—download our overview below.Â
Wildfire seasons are growing longer and affecting more regions each year. As a result, wildfire smoke is becoming part of a broader conversation about how buildings perform in changing environmental conditions.
For engineers and building owners, this means thinking beyond typical operating scenarios. Building systems increasingly need to be designed with the flexibility to respond when outdoor air conditions suddenly shift.
When smoke events are considered during the design phase, buildings are better positioned to protect indoor environments without requiring reactive measures later.
Solutions that combine monitoring, adaptive ventilation strategies, and localized air purification can help buildings maintain healthier indoor environments even when outdoor conditions become unpredictable.
As indoor air quality specialists, Fellowes works with engineers, facility teams, and building owners to help design layered strategies that support HVAC systems and strengthen building resilience during wildfire smoke events. Through monitoring technologies, connected dashboards, and zoned air purification systems like Array, we help provide the visibility and localized mitigation needed to support healthier indoor environments.
Connect with us to learn more about how Fellowes can support wildfire smoke event-ready system design.
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