Boston Public Schools launched an indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring system in 2022 to measure and improve air quality and thermal comfort for better teaching and learning environments in schools. Today, more than 4,400 sensors are connected to an online public dashboard that provides real-time data on levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, particulate matter, temperature and humidity for all Boston Public Schools.
IAQ sensors have been installed in all of the district's classrooms, nurse’s offices and main offices, and a rooftop unit has been installed in every school building to measure outdoor air as a baseline per location. The sensors report information in real-time on key measures of air quality. The data collected from the sensors helps the district's facilities team identify, review and respond to IAQ and temperature issues, and advocate for HVAC and other building investments to improve indoor environment quality.
In this video, Katherine Walsh, the Boston Public Schools director of planning, engineering, sustainability and environment, discusses the planning that went into the district’s IAQ system, the role of the facilities team in the system and the tangible benefits the system has provided for student, staff and the department.
Here is what viewers will learn from this video:
Dan Hounsell is senior editor of the facilities market. He has more than 30 years of experience covering facilities maintenance, engineering and management.
