Ashforth was awarded the Stamford 2030 District’s Leadership in Sustainability Gold Level Award for the installation of a new-to-market bipolar ionization system to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) at its owned and managed property Greenwich Plaza, a two-building 324,000-square-foot office complex in Greenwich, CT. The award was presented at the Stamford 2030 District’s second annual Change Makers Awards, highlighting sustainability and resiliency in the local community.
Working in combination with the building’s existing energy management system, this IAQ system utilizes state-of-the-art technology to dramatically reduce airborne particles, odors and contaminants that often make their way through conventional air filtration systems. By modulating outdoor air intake, the system also helps decrease energy consumption and costs. In addition, the system enables building staff to monitor, in real time, indoor air quality throughout the entire building.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has deemed Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) as one of the top environmental health risk faced by national companies. Potential benefits of an advanced IAQ system include improved employee productivity and reduced employee absenteeism.
“Improving indoor air quality in our buildings is always at the top of our list as we continuously assess ways to operate all of our properties more efficiently and sustainably. Upon learning about this new bipolar ionization technology, we immediately thought we should test this out at our Greenwich Plaza property, given the considerable air pollutants the train station and I-95 produce, which the building is directly between,” said Andrew Ashforth, Co-CEO of The Ashforth Company.
The project included the installation of ionization rails at each of the building’s main air-handling units as well as sensors to monitor air quality on each floor of the two buildings. Through the system’s web-based dashboard, the building staff can access live IAQ monitoring data as well as historical data and charts, all which help to continuously measure, monitor and improve indoor air quality. Eversource estimated the annual electric savings of 13,672 KWH and gas savings of 12,915 CCF. Using the average rates for 2014, this translates to savings of approximately $21,000 per year bringing the anticipated payback to approximately 11 years.
Ashforth’s advanced IAQ program at Greenwich Plaza, which has been recognized at the Stamford 2030 District’s 2016 Change Makers Awards, is another example of the company’s ongoing environmental commitment while providing operational excellence. Ashforth has a long history of completing numerous energy-efficient projects and sustainable improvements including LED lighting systems, modern HVAC and air filtration systems, state-of-the-art energy management building systems, Xeriscape landscaping plans and implementation of eco-friendly cleaning to greatly reduce the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides.
