How Much Does Air Quality Monitoring Cost?

It’s an unfortunate fact of life that company budgets are not infinite. Resources are always limited, and deciding how to best allocate them is a question that every business deals with daily - especially during periods of economic uncertainty.

Air quality is no different. Improving air quality in offices has proven benefits when it comes to employee health and the overall workplace experience, but how does it fare in a cost-benefit analysis?

To answer this question, let’s start by understanding the cost structure and typical pricing of indoor air quality (IAQ) testing and monitoring, and then proceed to look at the potential benefits and savings you can generate through a better understanding of the state of air quality in your buildings. By the end of this article, you should be able to weigh your options and decide whether IAQ monitoring is a good investment for your business.

Key Cost Factors for Air Quality Testing and Monitoring 

While it’s natural to want to know the price tag, the truth is that such an answer is difficult to give. It can range from a few hundred dollars for a single, one-off sampling test in a limited area, to tens of thousands of dollars for a large-scale project spanning a multi-purpose commercial building.

To understand where your project might fall on this spectrum, let’s look at the main factors that play a role in determining your costs.

Scope & Location

• The size of the space or spaces you’re measuring - measuring the air on a single floor will be different from measuring an entire building.
• The level of coverage you’re looking to achieve - for example, are there specific rooms or areas you want to test or monitor? Increasing coverage will give a better picture of the true state of air quality in your space, but it will also increase the number of monitors or samples required.
• Whether you are looking to measure very specific or non-standard VOCs.
• Location of your project(s) - human labor is a key factor in your cost structure and can vary significantly depending on the location.

These factors will impact the total cost, regardless of the next question - which is how you choose to test.

Continuous Monitoring vs. Spot Testing

As we’ve explained in the past, there are two ways to measure air quality in your building:

• Periodic spot testing, usually through an external testing company or environmental consultancy, where a few samples are taken from your environment and then analyzed
• Continuous monitoring where you install the hardware and collect the data in real-time and consistently

If you’re interested, you can read our previous post to learn more about the differences between spot testing and continuous monitoring. For our purposes, what’s important to remember is that these two approaches have different underlying price models. 

The cost of spot testing can be unpredictable and ongoing. Testing a single floor in a commercial property can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on the number of samples required and the need for repeated testing. For instance, if testing is required to meet specific thresholds, such as those for building certifications, multiple tests are often needed to achieve optimal results. Additionally, if regular testing is required, these costs will accumulate over time.

Continuous monitoring, on the other hand, usually requires an upfront investment to purchase the hardware as well as costs associated with installation and setup. However, these monitors can often be used to provide data and remove the need for spot testing, which can be much more cost-effective over time; they are also likely to generate much higher returns and ROI due to the higher quality and accuracy of data being collected (as we’ve covered in the previous post on this topic).

Cost Factors When Choosing Commercial IAQ Monitors

If you do decide to follow the current industry best practice and invest in IAQ monitors, you should make sure to ask any vendor you’re dealing with about the following features - which could sometimes be priced separately:

• Hardware: The cost of the physical IAQ monitors themselves, typically charged by the unit. Note that there is some variance in pricing between monitors to account for features such as a built-in monitor display or advanced power options.
• Installation and connectivity: Depending on the technical setup of the IAQ monitor, there may be costs associated with getting these monitors installed and connected to the network. Typically, hardwired solutions come with a higher installation cost than battery-powered solutions like the Sensedge Go.
• Software: Most commercial IAQ monitors need an IAQ dashboard to help you view, analyze, and export the data which often comes with a recurring software cost. However, in most cases, the total cost of ownership for continuous monitoring is still lower than the expenses of repeated air quality testing over time. Additionally, continuous monitoring provides the added advantage of real-time data, enabling more proactive and informed decision-making.
• Calibration: Most monitors need to be serviced for frequent calibration to ensure the accuracy of the sensors inside (Kaiterra monitors are an exception due to their modular sensor design). Calibration costs can vary depending on the method used, and it’s important to also account for the associated labor and the downtime during which data collection is interrupted.

Weighing the Costs of Monitoring Against the Benefits

Of course, costs are only half of the picture, and should always be considered against the benefits your business gets from the IAQ monitoring initiative. Some of these are easier to quantify than others:

• Absenteeism and lost productivity - many studies (such as this study by the EPA) have shown that poor air quality consistently leads to lower productivity and more sick days. Putting an exact number on this will depend on your overall salary costs, but for the sake of the exercise, try calculating how much your business would save if sick days were reduced by 10% and productivity increased by 1%.
• Reputational loss and employee churn - this is the hardest factor to quantify as it will be very difficult to attribute a specific employee leaving to poor air quality. However, considering the importance employees place on this issue in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s near certain that you can improve your employer brand and increase retention by providing more transparent air quality data. Considering the fact that replacing an individual employee can range from one-half to two times the employee's annual salary, the potential savings here are clear.
• Energy savings - by having up-to-date data about the state of air quality in various areas of the building, and various times of day, you can learn where the problems really are and adjust ventilation rates accordingly. HVAC systems are major energy consumers, and implementing demand-controlled ventilation can reduce your energy costs by 10-21%.

Learn More About the ROI of Indoor Air Quality

Want to get the full picture about the potential ROI of air quality monitoring and better air quality in your offices? We’ve got a few options for you:

• Download our ROI of IAQ ebook to discover the key stats, figures, and the numerous benefits you stand to gain
• Watch a 3 minute virtual demo to learn how a commercial IAQ monitor works

Or you can always speak to our team of specialists to discuss your specific goals and requirements - we look forward to speaking with you!