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Air Quality Matters

Air Quality Matters

De : Simon Jones
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Air Quality Matters inside our buildings and out.

This Podcast is about Indoor Air Quality, Outdoor Air Quality, Ventilation, and Health in our homes, workplaces, and education settings.

And we already have many of the tools we need to make a difference.

The conversations we have and how we share this knowledge is the key to our success.

We speak with the leaders at the heart of this sector about them and their work, innovation and where this is all going.

Air quality is the single most significant environmental risk we face to our health and wellbeing, and its impacts on us, our friends, our families, and society are profound.

From housing to the workplace, education to healthcare, the quality of the air we breathe matters.

Air Quality Matters


© 2025 Air Quality Matters Nature et écologie Science
Épisodes
  • Desk Fans vs. Giant Chillers: Rethinking HVAC Through PECs - #OT49

    Desk Fans vs. Giant Chillers: Rethinking HVAC Through PECs - #OT49
    Jul 2 2026
    This week, we dive into a groundbreaking paper published in the Journal of Energy and Buildings titled A Methodology for Evaluating the Effects of Personalized Environmental Control Systems (PECs) on Building Whole Life Carbon CO2 Emissions, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about building design and decarbonisation: What if the single biggest opportunity to slash carbon emissions in buildings isn't just improving central HVAC systems—but radically downsizing them by giving occupants personalised control over their immediate thermal environment? For decades, we've conditioned entire office volumes to a uniform temperature, chasing an average comfort level that doesn't actually exist for individuals. Half the room wears sweaters while the other half sweats. It's energy intensive, carbon intensive, and ironically, nobody is truly comfortable. Personalized Environmental Control Systems (PEX)—think heated chairs, desk fans, local diffusers—flip this model. By controlling the microenvironment around each occupant, we can relax ambient set points, reduce operational energy, and potentially downsize massive central equipment. But here's the blind spot this paper addresses for the first time: what about whole life carbon? Key Topics Discussed: The Power Draw Problem: PEX devices with moderate corrective capacity (offsetting set points by 2 to 4 degrees) and low maximum power use (70 watts or less) achieve the best environmental balance. High capacity PEX drawing 80 to 100 watts start dumping heat back into the space, creating internal heat gain that puts load back onto the central cooling system, wiping out energy savings. If you oversize the personal devices, you lose. The Silent Killer: Standby Power: Most PEX studies completely ignore standby power. But in the real world, devices sit plugged in, drawing a trickle of power even when nobody is at the desk. The authors modelled a modest 5 watt standby draw per unit. For low capacity PEX like simple desk fans, that 5 watt standby completely wiped out operational energy savings. Why? Because the central system is already efficient enough to handle mild conditions, meaning the PEX spends massive hours on standby, leaking energy during idle time. Product developers must design ultra low power systems with zero standby draw. The Courage to Downsize: The massive carbon savings are locked in on day one when designers physically downsize the central HVAC infrastructure. Smaller air handling units, smaller chillers, smaller duct diameters, reduced suspended ceiling heights, lower floor to floor heights. These embodied carbon savings are permanent and non negotiable. Standby power cannot erase them. But if you install PEX and still install a massive full size central VAV system just in case, you're missing the point and leaving massive carbon savings on the table. A methodology for evaluating the effects of personalized environmental control systems (PECS) on building whole-life CO2 emissions https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2026.117565 The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Particles Plus https://particlesplus.com/ Eurovent (https://www.eurovent.eu/) - Aico (https://www.aico.co.uk/) - Lindab (https://www.lindab.ie/) - S&P UK (https://www.solerpalau.com/en-uk/) The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces (https://www.safetraces.com/) - Inbiot (https://www.inbiot.es/?utm_campaign=simon&utm_source=airqualitymatters&utm_medium=podcast) - Farmwood (https://farmwood.co.uk/) - iE Electronics (https://www.eielectronics.ie/) iAir Group (https://iair-group.com/) and Zehnder Group https://www.zehndergroup.com/en Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. (https://www.airqualitymatters.net/podcast) If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here (https://www.youtube.com/@airqualitymatters-SimonJones). Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The One Take Format and Personalized Environmental Control 00:01:11 The Dumb HVAC Problem: Why We Condition Entire Rooms for Nobody 00:01:39 The PEX Solution: Localized Control and Relaxed Ambient Temperatures 00:02:24 The Blind Spot: What About Whole Life Carbon? 00:03:08 The Methodology: Copenhagen Office Building Simulation and LCA 00:03:56 Retrofit Scenario Results: 50% Energy Reduction Without Physical Changes 00:04:39 Design Scenario Magic: Downsizing Central Systems for Massive Carbon Savings 00:05:53 The Catch: Maximum Power Draw and the Standby Power Silent Killer 00:07:45 The Embodied Carbon Lock-In: Why Design Scenarios Still Win 00:08:30 The So What: Whole Life Thinking and the Future of Human-Centric Buildings
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    10 min
  • Politicians, Pandemics and PM2.5: Turning Air Quality Science Into Policy - Lydia Morawska

    Politicians, Pandemics and PM2.5: Turning Air Quality Science Into Policy - Lydia Morawska
    Jun 29 2026
    This week, we sit down with Professor Lidia Morawska, one of the world's leading voices in air quality science and airborne infection transmission, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about progress in indoor air quality: What if the single biggest barrier to transforming the built environment isn't our lack of scientific knowledge—but our inability to convert public health crises into sustained political action before society forgets the urgency? Key Topics Discussed: The Open Letter That Changed Everything: On the last Saturday of March 2020, the WHO Director General tweeted that COVID-19 was not airborne. Within three days, Lidia organized 36 leading scientists to write to the WHO. Within an hour of sending the letter, Geneva called. The conversation was defensive, not collaborative. It took three months of strategic media engagement and publication in a top journal before the WHO acknowledged airborne transmission the next day. The P-Block Blueprint: Lidia's team is transforming an existing building at Queensland University of Technology into the first building in the world to meet proposed indoor air quality standards. The project monitors PM2.5, carbon monoxide (in combustion spaces), and CO2 as a proxy for infection transmission and ventilation effectiveness. An AI optimisation platform will automatically instruct building management systems to balance indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and energy efficiency without human intervention. GUEST: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lidia-morawska-5461519/ https://www.indoorair2026.org/ The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Particles Plus https://particlesplus.com/ Eurovent (https://www.eurovent.eu/) - Aico (https://www.aico.co.uk/) - Lindab (https://www.lindab.ie/) - S&P UK (https://www.solerpalau.com/en-uk/) The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces (https://www.safetraces.com/) - Inbiot (https://www.inbiot.es/?utm_campaign=simon&utm_source=airqualitymatters&utm_medium=podcast) - Farmwood (https://farmwood.co.uk/) - iE Electronics (https://www.eielectronics.ie/) and iAir Group (https://iair-group.com/) Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. (https://www.airqualitymatters.net/podcast) If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here (https://www.youtube.com/@airqualitymatters-SimonJones). Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: Meeting Lydia Mirowska and the Prime Minister's Prize for Science 00:02:24 The Shifting Audience: From Ignored Experts to Listened-To Advocates 00:04:38 Historical Patterns: When Events Force Air Quality Into Public Consciousness 00:07:53 The Visibility Problem: Why Indoor Air Quality Remains Abstract and Invisible 00:08:38 Leveraging Crisis Moments: The Strategy of Incremental Regulatory Progress 00:10:10 Beyond Pandemics: The Everyday Burden of Respiratory Infections and Air Pollution 00:11:34 Country by Country: Understanding Different Regulatory Systems and Pathways 00:13:38 Working With Politicians: Solutions Not Just Problems 00:19:03 The Scale of Change: Learning From Water Infrastructure History 00:21:09 The Cost of Inaction: Why Not Fixing Air Quality Is More Expensive 00:22:22 The Low-Cost Sensor Revolution: Making Air Quality Visible for Everyone 00:26:58 The Advocacy Balance: When Passion Meets Complexity 00:29:27 The Simplicity Paradox: Complex Science But Straightforward Building Solutions 00:32:33 From Individual Responsibility to Building Standards: The Water Analogy 00:34:03 Agency and Automation: Balancing Control With Proper Building Performance 00:36:33 Education Gap: Why Air Quality Isn't in School Curriculum or Medical Textbooks 00:37:41 Air Quality as the Perfect Teaching Subject: Engaging Every Student 00:39:25 The Medical Community Gap: When Doctors Never Ask About Home Environment 00:43:54 The Open Letter to WHO: How 36 Scientists Changed Global Pandemic Response 00:51:44 The Airborne Battle: Science Versus Institutional Resistance at WHO 00:53:49 Understanding WHO's Position: Medical Terminology and Institutional Fear 01:00:23 The MPOX Response: Why We're Still Hesitant on Airborne Transmission 01:06:23 P-Block Project: Building the World's First Indoor Air Quality Standard Building 01:09:04 The Three-Pollutant Standard: PM2.5, Carbon Monoxide, and CO2 as Proxy 01:12:07 The Sensor Readiness Question: Why These Pollutants and Not Others 01:12:48 The PM2.5 Debate: Composition Complexity Versus Epidemiological Consistency 01:20:53 The VOC Conundrum: Source Control Over Measurement 01:23:16 The Radon Scandal: When Science Is Resolved But Nothing Changes 01:29:16 The Ireland Radon Crisis: One in Five Homes Above Threshold in Red Zones 01:34:28 Closing Vision: From Advocacy to Implementation in Five Years
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    1 h et 37 min
  • The Celtic Tiger's Toxic Legacy: How Rapid Construction Baked Dampness Into Irish Homes - #OT48

    The Celtic Tiger's Toxic Legacy: How Rapid Construction Baked Dampness Into Irish Homes - #OT48
    Jun 18 2026
    This week, we dive into a groundbreaking study from Dublin City University published in the Journal of Housing Studies titled Transforming Social Housing: Moving Beyond Tenant Blame to Address Systemic Indoor Environmental Quality Challenges for Healthy Homes in Ireland, to explore a question that fundamentally challenges how we think about mould and dampness in social housing: What if the single biggest barrier to fixing persistent moisture problems in social housing isn't tenant behaviour—but a broken system that uses lifestyle blame to mask decades of infrastructure failure, reactive maintenance, and profound environmental injustice? For decades, when a tenant reports mould, the default response from landlords and housing bodies has been to point the finger squarely at the tenant's lifestyle. Clean it down, stop drying your washing on the radiators, put lids on your pots when cooking, and open the windows more. The implication is always that the tenant is causing the problem. This blame centric narrative was blown wide open in the UK following the tragic death of two year old Awaab Ishak in 2020, whose death was directly linked to severe mould in his family's social housing flat. But as the authors of this paper point out, a similar shift in understanding hasn't taken root everywhere, including in Ireland. Key Topics Discussed: The Infrastructure Issue: Many moisture problems are baked right into the physical infrastructure due to a legacy of outdated building regulations and past policy failures. Social homes built in the 1950s were designed with built in open fireplaces which helped ventilate the rooms. But to comply with modern European energy efficiency directives, new regulations required these fireplaces be sealed up. When you seal up the primary ventilation route and then introduce modern moisture generating appliances like dishwashers, you create a trap for dampness. Homes built during the Celtic Tiger boom led to rapid construction at the expense of quality, resulting in widespread cold bridging and thermal weak spots. The Maintenance Issue: If buildings are flawed, the maintenance regimes designed to fix them are often just as broken. A lot of maintenance in the social housing sector operates on a responsive repairs model. You basically wait until a tenant reports a problem, and by that point, the issue has likely deteriorated significantly. One resident shared a heartbreaking story of developing chronic respiratory infections from persistent mould, despite keeping their windows open all day in the freezing cold. The landlords knew about a structural fault in the building's basement, yet the repairs remained entirely superficial. The Lifestyle Myth and the Breakdown of Trust: Yes, human behaviour impacts indoor air quality. Drying clothes on radiators or blocking vents will absolutely trigger mould growth. But why are tenants doing this? These practices are entirely understandable when you live in a cold, rainy climate and you're struggling to heat your home. It's a symptom of fuel poverty and poor building design, not malicious intent. The real issue is a profound breakdown in communication and trust between tenants and landlords. When you sever that personal connection, the system becomes rigid and landlords default to blame centric communications. Transforming social housing: moving beyond tenant blame to address systemic indoor environmental quality (IEQ) challenges for healthy homes in Ireland https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2026.2653612 The Air Quality Matters Podcast in Partnership with Particles Plus https://particlesplus.com/ Eurovent (https://www.eurovent.eu/) - Aico (https://www.aico.co.uk/) - Lindab (https://www.lindab.ie/) The One Take Podcast in Partnership with SafeTraces (https://www.safetraces.com/) and Inbiot (https://www.inbiot.es/?utm_campaign=simon&utm_source=airqualitymatters&utm_medium=podcast) - Farmwood (https://farmwood.co.uk/) Do check them out in the links and on the Air Quality Matters Website. (https://www.airqualitymatters.net/podcast) If you haven't checked out the YouTube channel its here (https://www.youtube.com/@airqualitymatters-SimonJones). Do subscribe if you can, lots more content is coming soon. Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction: The One Take Format and the Systemic Housing Crisis 00:01:01 The Tenant Blame Narrative: Why Lifestyle Excuses Mask Real Problems 00:02:31 The Research Approach: 28 Stakeholder Voices on Environmental Justice 00:03:19 Theme One: The Infrastructure Crisis—When Buildings Are Built to Fail 00:04:41 Flying Blind: The Data Gap in Irish Housing Quality 00:05:01 Theme Two: The Maintenance Failure—Reactive Systems and Fragmented Policies 00:06:28 Theme Three: The Lifestyle Myth and the Breakdown of Trust 00:07:48 The Knowledge Gap: When New Technology Meets No Training 00:08:39 The Paradigm Shift: From Blame to Partnership in Social Housing 00:09:20 Closing Thoughts: Environmental Justice and the Path to Healthy Homes
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    11 min
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