Honeywell has launched what it says is a first-of-its-kind solution that combines early warning smoke detection with advanced indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring, furthering its efforts to create safer and healthier buildings. Built on the flagship VESDA-E line of aspirating smoke detectors, the VESDA Air solution has a unique five-in-one IAQ sensor within a single box, which can help improve building safety by identifying life safety, asset protection or IAQ issues before they escalate into problems.
VESDA Air complements Honeywell’s ready now Healthy Buildings solutions that can help improve occupant well-being, meet energy efficiency goals and, importantly, change the way occupants experience a building.
Honeywell’s VESDA technology actively samples air – rather than passively waiting for smoke to reach traditional spot sensors – to identify trace amounts of smoke and enable early intervention before it disrupts operations. Honeywell engineers have integrated into the same VESDA system a highly sensitive IAQ sensor that measures critical IAQ parameters, including volatile organic compounds (total VOCs) listed by ASHRAE as ‘contaminants of concern,’ fine particulate matter of 1.0 micron (PM1.0) and PM2.5 or larger with unprecedented accuracy, CO and CO2 concentration, temperature and humidity. Ideal for premium commercial buildings, healthcare facilities, hospitality, manufacturing and schools, the new sensor provides instrument-grade IAQ sensing for data uniformity and accuracy.
“The emphasis on indoor air quality isn’t going away – and that’s a good thing as more organisations work to create safer, healthier environments that help boost occupant well-being and productivity,” said Udaya Shrivastava, vice president and chief technology officer, Honeywell Building Technologies. “We challenged our engineering teams to find a way to complement the capabilities of our aspirating smoke detection systems with highly sensitive IAQ monitoring. The system identifies not only the minute presence of smoke, but also the presence of air quality contaminants of concern, allowing building operators to react and respond to out-of-bounds parameters quickly, before they escalate into unsafe situations.”
The plug-and-play cartridge-based IAQ sensor works much the same as replacing a printer’s ink-jet cartridge, thus avoiding costly calibration and other maintenance. This convenience helps to reduce total cost, minimise waste and provide accurate IAQ data.
The scalable solution can be used in both new construction and existing buildings. In new construction, installation of an integrated VESDA Air solution can reduce the total cost of installation (TCI) and total cost of maintenance (TCM) as compared to installing and maintaining standalone smoke detection and IAQ monitoring systems. In buildings with a fully functional smoke detection system, a ‘smokeless’ IAQ-only system can be installed to provide accurate, actionable data to adjust ventilation parameters
