ASHRAE Journal - June 2022 - 8

LETTERS
Wildfire Smoke
Impacts on
Residential IAQ
I read March's ASHRAE Journal column,
" Wildfire Smoke Impacts on
Residential IAQ " with great interest,
as I'm a resident of Fairbanks,
Alaska, which is subject to significant
wildfire pollution.
Interestingly, our local hospital is
considered one of the worst spaces
during a high smoke event. Our
hospital has many 100% outside air
spaces. While the MERV 14 filtration
can greatly reduce PM2.5, it does
nothing for the volatile components,
which gives the perception
of high smoke. Buildings that can
operate at minimum outside air
quantities are perceived as much
better. Chemical reduction filters
have been discussed, but so far
nothing has been proven to improve
conditions.
During one of our higher smoke
events, one where ash was visibly
falling out of the air, our east-facing
home could be completely closed
down without overheating. I worry
about our new south-facing home.
To me, HEPA filtration is the
answer for residences. I doubt anyone
would invest in mechanical
cooling simply to mitigate the rare
smoke event.
Robin J. Rader, P.E., Member ASHRAE, Fairbanks, Alaska
The Authors Respond
Thank you for your interest in this
important topic. The focus of this
column is residences, but ASHRAE
is working to provide guidance for
commercial buildings, including
hospitals, through the development
of Guideline 44P, Protecting Building
8
ASHRAE JOURNAL ashrae.o rg
Occupants from Smoke During Wildfire
and Prescribed Burn Events. We agree
with you regarding HEPA filtration
in residential buildings during
high smoke events. Multiple studies
(including our example presented
in the column) found that portable
air cleaners with HEPA filtration
were successful in reducing the
indoor/outdoor ratio of PM2.5 during
fire events. For many, wildfires
coincide with hot weather, and
many households run cooling systems,
which may increase outdoor
air intake into their homes. For
those situations, a combination of
high MERV filtration and portable
air cleaning may provide a solution
during highly polluted days.
Chrissi Antonopoulos, Student Member ASHRAE; Steven
Emmerich, Fellow ASHRAE; Brett Singer, Member
ASHRAE; Rick Karg, Life Member ASHRAE
A Fistful of
Dollars
Andy Pearson, Ph.D., P.E.'s, column
" A Fistful of Dollars " in the
March ASHRAE Journal correctly
identifies both the reasons and the
solution for commodified or
" vocational professional " wages.
The true worth of a job well done
is not appreciated because owner
benefits are uncertain.
The full efficiency benefits of
our energy-efficient equipment
are often never realized because
of poor operations. Oversized and
uncommissioned equipment result
in low-efficiency operations. The
fragmented nature of our industry,
with split engineering consultantcontractor-owner
incentives, makes
first costs the only reliable metric.
To the question raised in the column
on what a potential new business
model for solving this issue
J U N E 2022
could look like: A New Business
Model: " As-A-Service. "
Servitisation or as-a-service business
models sell products as a service
for creating additional value or
new offerings. This business model
helps asset owners avoid up-front
costs and pays the service provider
from efficiency cost savings if they
materialize. The predictable pay-asyou-go
payments can be accommodated
in owner operating budgets,
preferably from the operating cost
savings of energy efficiency.
Erin McConahey's May 2020
ASHRAE Journal column " Counting
Carbons and Circular Diets " gave an
example of " Cooling-as-a-Service. "
The client specifies the temperature
and flow required and is charged
a fixed ongoing $/refrigeration ton
hour subscription fee. There are no
up-front fees to the owner, resolving
the problem of short term-oriented
low-bid service providers. The
as-a-service provider supplies the
capital equipment, the managerial
and technical human resources
for operations, maintenance and
equipment disposal.
This shared risk, reward model
incentivizes high efficiency, reliable
and safe services as a critical
differentiator. Maintenance and
ongoing artificial intelligencebased
commissioning allow the
as-a-service provider to minimize
operating costs, in particular
energy use.
Engineering and technical skills
can be monetized through their
direct profit margin impact, like
the compensation models for technology
workers. Modular systems
match supply to demand and eliminate
the issue of oversized equipment.
The as-a-service provider is
http://ashrae.org
ASHRAE Journal - June 2022

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