Clean Air: The benefit of heat pumps that no one’s talking about
One of the most significant factors affecting people’s physical and mental well-being is poor indoor and outdoor air quality.
The World Health Organisation says air pollution represents the largest environmental risk to health and causes seven million deaths a year, including up to 36,000 in England, according to Public Health England.
With people spending around 90 per cent of their time indoors, the quality of the air that circulates is now recognised as a key issue in building design, from homes and offices, to hospitals, schools and factories.
There are several pollution sources inside a building — wall and floor coverings, furniture and appliances, dust, damp and mould, emissions from office equipment and machinery and, of course, occupants themselves who breath CO2 and spread colds and viruses.
Through the selection of appropriate equipment however, indoor air quality can be managed and controlled.
Ventilation systems remove stale air from within inside spaces — designed to extract water vapour, airborne pollutants and odours and control humidity.
Simple steps such as specifying the correct type and standard of filters for both internal and external air sources can make a significant difference. Similarly, careful consideration on the placement of air intakes, away from sources of pollution can also minimise the impact on IAQ.
With increased pressure to reduce energy consumption, buildings must also deliver a high level of efficiency and poor indoor air quality can hit the bottom line of building owners through costly remedial works and higher running costs.
In addition, the move away from fossil fuel or biomass based heating will also have a positive effect — a benefit of the drive for sustainability that is not generally recognised. Gas combustion is a major source of nitrogen oxide pollution in urban areas. For example, the latest London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (LAEI) figures show that in Greater London, domestic and commercial gas combustion for heat and power accounts for 20% of the total NOx emissions. To put this in context, all road transport in Greater London, generally accepted to be the biggest contributor, accounts for 44%.
The phasing out of gas boilers, beginning with new homes from 2025, will lead to significant reductions in the release of harmful emissions in towns and cities. Adopting clean, low carbon technologies such as heat pumps, which do not require combustion, will lead to improved outdoor air quality and therefore better indoor air quality.
Indoor air quality is a complex issue and one that is affected by a wide range of factors including outdoor air pollutants. Effective ventilation, designed to address both internal and external pollutants, is now essential. However, the adoption of the correct heating technologies that emit no pollutants also has a role to play in improving the health of our towns and cities.
