Sissi Liu, CEO/Co-founder, Metalmark Innovations.
As we step into 2025, it’s clear that climate change presents new challenges, prompting us to reexamine something essential to life yet often overlooked—air quality. At the same time, achieving global deep decarbonization goals demands a shift in how we set priorities. For buildings, this means going beyond pushing for all new constructions and rethinking how we manage and transform existing structures.
Let’s consider:
• More than 70% of buildings that exist today are expected to still be standing in 2050.
• Retrofitting an existing building can result in 50%-75% less carbon emissions compared to constructing a new building of the same type.
• Buildings account for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions—with 11% from materials and construction and 28% from their operations.
Retrofits And HVAC Upgrades
The stats exist to support the need to properly retrofit buildings to make them climate-friendly. According to a 2018 survey, buildings constructed before 2000 represented about 75% of the total 5.9 million commercial buildings at the time, totaling roughly 96 billion square feet of floor space. Now consider that approximately 81% of the commercial floorspace has some form of HVAC system, and they drive about 40% of a building’s operating energy use.
This challenge is particularly urgent in certain types of buildings, such as schools, where outdated HVAC systems contribute to poor indoor environmental quality, potentially impacting student health, attendance and academic performance.
Retrofitting with modern HVAC units equipped with higher-efficiency filters and smart sensors can help to reduce airborne contaminants while precisely controlling temperature and humidity and managing ventilation rates to bring in fresh outdoor air.
These types of solutions work well, that is, under the old paradigm in which outdoor air was reliably clean.
Air Quality, Ventilation And New Paradigm
In the new reality, outdoor air quality can’t always be relied upon as safe.
In recent years, the need for better indoor environmental quality has become increasingly urgent. Wildfires, once confined to the summer and fall months on the U.S. West Coast, have now become a year-round threat affecting all regions, endangering public health. As climate change leads to hotter, drier conditions in many parts of the world, the frequency and intensity of wildfires are expected to continue to rise.
As we spend about 90% of our time indoors, often in shared spaces, indoor air quality (IAQ) has significant implications for our health and well-being. The infiltration of wildfire smoke into buildings exposes occupants to fine particulate matter, which has been linked to a range of health issues, from respiratory and cardiovascular diseases to increased risks of dementia.
Beyond wildfire smoke, IAQ is compromised by various other pollutants, including airborne viruses, bacteria, mold and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released by building materials, furniture, cleaning products and human activities. In poorly ventilated spaces, these pollutants can accumulate to harmful levels, leading to health problems. A notable concern for schools is that childhood asthma is a leading driver of chronic disease-related school absences in the U.S., resulting in more than 10 million missed school days annually.
What This Means For Property Owners And Managers
This creates a dilemma under the new paradigm:
• Many buildings will need retrofits in the coming years.
• Completely overhauling HVAC systems in older buildings with conventional ducted centralized systems often turns out to be cost-prohibitive and, in many cases, impossible to implement due to the limitations of building structures.
• Climate change patterns are driving the spread of wildfire smoke, which worsens ambient air quality, the primary source of fresh air for traditional HVAC systems.
One opportunity is to implement distributed, localized air cleaning solutions to address indoor environmental quality issues while enhancing overall building energy efficiency. For building owners and managers considering this approach, the first step is a thorough assessment of the existing HVAC system. This involves testing current air quality, reviewing maintenance records, surveying occupants about health and comfort issues, and identifying areas underserved by the central system.
Prioritize areas where occupants are at the highest risk and air quality improvements could have the greatest impact, such as high-traffic common spaces, classrooms, meeting rooms and areas with sensitive populations like children or the elderly.
When evaluating different technology options, consider factors such as air contamination removal efficiency, no harmful byproducts like ozone or VOC emissions, ease of maintenance, data tracking, noise levels, energy use and ability to integrate with existing building systems and architecture.
Localized, distributed air cleaning solutions designed for building integration can provide an effective and potentially more affordable alternative to achieving superior air quality that works in concert with other heating, cooling and ventilation systems. (Disclosure: My company offers these solutions, as do others.) Instead of focusing exclusively on upfront costs, take into account the total lifetime costs, as replacement parts can contribute some 70% of that total.
Initiate implementations first in the highest priority areas to confirm effectiveness and build support for a broader rollout. Look to work closely with a solution provider to address any challenges related to existing infrastructure constraints.
Next, develop an integration plan for rollout. With careful planning and expert guidance, building owners and managers can successfully implement distributed air-cleaning solutions to create healthier, more sustainable indoor environments.
Conclusion
The path to deep decarbonization, adapting to new climate realities and improving health lies in reimagining our built environment. Retrofitting existing buildings is not just an opportunity but a necessity, particularly as we face increasing challenges like wildfire smoke, rising energy costs and outdated infrastructure.
By upgrading HVAC systems when possible and adopting innovative solutions such as localized, distributed air-cleaning technologies, we can create healthier spaces for people while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions and costs. This is especially critical for schools, where investments in air quality improvements can impact the health, safety and academic performance of our children.
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