Smart Indoor Air Quality in Arctic/Sub-Arctic Buildings

Interpretation of the SEMM model

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Objectives

This pilot addresses unhealthy air conditions and contaminants in kindergarten and schools. It consists of IoT sensing of air quality parameters. The data will be combined with domestic weather and intelligent ventilation technology to control ventilation systems to optimise indoor air quality without energy loss. Air exchange with energy-saving/recycling technology and different sensors will be assessed to find the most suitable ones to reduce energy consumption.

Target Groups

Public infrastructure operators

Pilot Story

Orkusetur's focus for the SMARCTIC project was to use newly generated renewable electricity on Grímsey island (using wind and solar, partially supported by another NPA project, SMARTrenew) to improve air quality for children while simultaneously improving energy use. An indoor air quality controller combined with air-to-air heat exchanger (a Fresh-r product) was installed in a children's school on the island of Grímsey, Iceland.  The air quality device is automatically controlled with remote access and allows for fresh air to be introduced into the room without windows being opened, meaning that the temperature is controlled and additional energy is not used to reheat the room. This is part of an on-going effort to replace dependency on diesel-generated electric power on the island and reduce oil consumption for space heating.

Pilot Results

The system is in place in the ‘Múli’ building in Grímsey in the Municipality of Akureyri, Iceland, which houses a small athletic hall and a school room.

Below is an example of air quality data from the month of July 2022, showing measured and calculated energy saving values. The ‘loss avoided’ is the amount of heat extracted from outgoing air of low quality (high CO2 content). Over 200 kWh of heating energy usage was avoided, corresponding to ca. 20 litres of oil.