WELL Certification: How Many Air Quality Monitors Does Your Project Need?

If you’re working on a WELL project and have already selected a commercial air quality monitor for your building, the next step is calculating how many monitors you need to put in your space. The WELL Building Standard requires a specific number of air quality monitors based on the size of your building to ensure accurate air quality readings — these numbers can be found in the Performance Verification Guidebook.

Calculating Air Quality Monitor Density for WELL Compliance

In the guidebook, find Table 4: Number of Monitors Required in Occupiable Spaces Based on Project Area. This table provides the minimum number of indoor air quality (IAQ) monitors required for your project based on your building’s total area of occupiable space.

Using your project’s total square footage, you can easily find how many monitors you will need (at a minimum) as well as how far apart they can be installed. If your calculation results in a fraction, such as 2.1 monitors, then you have to round up to the next whole number — three in this case.

While this table will give you the absolute minimum number of IAQ monitors you need for WELL compliance, your project may benefit from having a slightly higher density of monitors. The more data you have, the more you can drill down into each space and identify specific IAQ issues and potential root causes. However, if you’re just looking for the bare minimum, then this simple calculation will provide the answer.

Once you know how many monitors you need for your WELL project, map them onto your floor plan to make sure the monitors are well-distributed throughout each floor as well as different spaces. The goal is to capture air quality readings in areas with different conditions and occupancy levels to gain a representative picture of your IAQ.

Have Questions About WELL-Compliant Air Quality Monitor Density?

Contact us today, and a member of our team can help you calculate how many monitors you need and show you where to install them on your floor plan to ensure full WELL compliance.