In current sustainability and well-being standards, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has gone from being a secondary element to becoming a critical factor that can determine the success or failure of the certification process.
It is no longer enough to design a space to meet minimum ventilation requirements; the technical requirements of the latest versions of green building certifications such as WELL, LEED, BREEAM, Fitwel and AirRated, for example, require continuous verification, traceable data and a proactive approach to IAQ management.
This article is the first part of a comprehensive guide for professional advisors and consultants detailing how continuous, accredited indoor air quality monitoring is key to maximising points, simplifying processes and ensuring success in the most influential wellness and sustainability accreditations.
The importance of using a professional accredited sensor to monitor indoor air quality during the certification process
The process of obtaining sustainability certifications can be long and arduous without the right tools.
In the most recent versions of these accreditations, points and credits are awarded for ensuring that the strategies implemented to improve air quality work not only in theory but also in practice.
This means that professional consultants must provide a large amount of documentation and data to validate the reliability and accuracy of the solutions chosen to meet the requirements that will earn points during certification audits.
How to earn points in WELL v2 Certification?
As we mentioned in this article about what WELL certification is, it is the benchmark standard for healthy buildings that assesses spaces through 10 key concepts (Air, Water, Light, Thermal Comfort, etc.) and requires a demonstration of actual performance in these areas in order to grant certification.
Using the Nanoenvi IAQ monitor allows you to earn points both directly and indirectly, as it serves as a valid verification tool for the WELL auditor.
What requirements can you earn points for through continuous air monitoring?
Here are the details of the requirements where you can easily earn points:
- A01 – Fundamental Air Quality. Ensures and verifies compliance with thresholds for PM10 and PM 2.5 particles, organic gases through total VOCs, inorganic gas thresholds (CO and O3) and continuous monitoring of air pollutants and reporting to the WELL digital platform.
- A03 – Ventilation Efficiency. Monitors ventilation efficiency to demonstrate the performance of ventilation systems, ensuring that CO₂ levels are kept below the 900 ppm threshold.
- A05 – Improved Air Quality. Continuously measures PM 2.5 and PM10 particle levels to demonstrate that they are below the most stringent thresholds.
- A06 – Improved Ventilation. The data collected by the sensor is used to demonstrate that CO₂ levels are consistently maintained below 750 ppm.
- A08 – Air Quality Monitoring. Directly complies with the requirement to install monitors to measure at least 3 IAQ parameters and allows the data to be displayed to occupants.
- T01 – Thermal Performance. Enables continuous monitoring of thermal comfort.
- T06 – Thermal Comfort Monitoring. Directly complies with the requirement to install sensors for monitoring temperature and relative humidity and displaying data.
- T07 – Humidity Comfort. Measures relative humidity to ensure that it is maintained at comfortable levels within the required range (normally 30-60%).
Summary table of WELL v2 points
| Credit | Points | How Nanoenvi IAQ helps |
| ✅ A01 | Precondition | Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 5 |
| ✅ A03 | Precondition | CO₂ ≤ 900 ppm |
| ✅ A05 | 1 | PM2.5 ≤12 μg/m³ , PM10 ≤ 30 μg/m³ |
| ✅ A06 | 2 | CO₂ ≤ 750 ppm |
| ✅ A08 | 2 | Install IAQ monitors with data display |
| ✅ T01 | Precondition | Thermal comfort |
| ✅ T06 | 1 | Temperature and Humidity |
| ✅ T07 | 1 | Relative Humidity |
Even better, thanks to the official ‘Crosswalk’ between WELL v2 and RESET, you no longer need to submit complex data sheets and calibrations to prove the reliability and accuracy of the sensor.
Source: https://v2.wellcertified.com/en/wellv2/concepts
RESET Standard Air certification, a seal of success
Although there are numerous low-cost devices on the market that measure air quality and thermal comfort parameters, they lack the robustness, accuracy and reliability required by a professional audit.
On the contrary, there are devices such as Nanoenvi IAQ which, in addition to having high-quality, high-precision sensors, are indoor air quality monitors accredited by RESET, the international standard focused on the quality of real-time air quality monitoring data.
You can check the specifications and accreditation of our monitor in the official RESET directory: Envira Nanoenvi IAQ – RESET Monitors
And how does RESET AIR accreditation help in obtaining sustainability certifications?
Simple. It stands to reason that demonstrating compliance with demanding air quality requirements requires an accurate and reliable measurement tool.
A RESET-accredited device has undergone rigorous laboratory testing that certifies the accuracy of the sensors, eliminating uncertainty about the quality of the measurement (a critical point in the performance verification phase).
Major certifications increasingly recognise that continuous monitoring is the most reliable way to ensure healthy IAQ, which is why some organisations such as the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), responsible for WELL certification, have created “direct paths” or “crosswalks” that allow a RESET-certified monitor to automatically comply with certain credits.
LEED v5 certification, meanwhile, already recognises RESET-accredited monitors as benchmark standards for continuous indoor air quality monitoring.
What to do to gain EQ Credit points in LEED v5 Certification?
LEED v5 certification has evolved significantly since its previous versions, placing greater importance on indoor air quality monitoring in order to assess not only the energy efficiency of buildings, but also the well-being of their occupants.
This new focus on indoor air quality as a strategic priority simplifies the process of obtaining LEED credits through continuous monitoring, as explained in our article ‘How can Nanoenvi IAQ help you meet air quality requirements in the LEED certification process?’
The points associated with continuous monitoring can be obtained in both LEED O+M (Operations and Maintenance) and LEED BD+C (Building Design and Construction) and LEED ID+C (Interior Design).
LEED O+M – Operations and Maintenance
In this certification focused on the performance of the building in use, IAQ monitors have a direct and fundamental application:
- EQp1 – Ventilation and Filtration Verification (Prerequisite). This prerequisite requires knowledge of the performance of ventilation systems. By measuring CO2 levels, the Nanoenvi IAQ monitor provides a key real-time indicator of the effectiveness of ventilation in diluting pollutants generated by occupants. High CO2 levels can indicate poor ventilation.
- EQc1 – Indoor Air Quality Performance (up to 11 points). This is the credit where continuous monitoring of pollutants provides the most points. Nanoenvi IAQ helps achieve:
- Carbon dioxide (CO2): Up to 4 points for maintaining levels below 1000 ppm or 800 ppm.
- Particles (PM2.5): Up to 4 points for maintaining levels below 15 µg/m³ or 12 µg/m³.
- Total Volatile Organic Compounds (TVOC): 2 points for monitoring any level.
- In addition to these 3 parameters, 1 extra point can be earned by including testing, at least once during the 12-month reference period, for Carbon Monoxide (CO) and PM10 Particles.
Summary table of LEED O+M points
| Parameters | Threshold | Points |
| CO₂ | 800 ppm | 4 |
| PM 2.5 | 12 µg/m³ | 4 |
| TVOC | n/a | 2 |
| CO + PM10 | 9 ppm / 50 µg/m³ | 1 |
LEED BD + C – Building Design and Construction and LEED ID + C – Interior Design and Construction
In new construction or interior renovation projects, the monitor is installed to verify design performance and ensure good air quality from day one.
- EQp2 – Fundamental Air Quality (Prerequisite). Compliance with ASHRAE 62.1 ventilation and filtration standards is required, and although Nanoenvi IAQ does not directly measure airflow rates, CO2 monitoring allows verification that the designed ventilation systems are functioning as intended and keeping CO2 levels under control, thus validating the design.
- EQc5 – Air Quality Testing and Monitoring (1 point in BD+C and 1 point in ID+C). The Continuous Indoor Air Monitoring option awards points for installing a permanent system that measures CO2, PM2.5, TVOC, temperature and humidity. Nanoenvi IAQ meets all these requirements, providing a comprehensive solution for obtaining this point.
Source: https://www.usgbc.org/leed/v5
How to obtain credits in the ‘Health & Wellbeing’ section of BREEAM Certification?
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is another of the world’s leading methods for assessing and certifying sustainability in buildings.
This certification is organised into different schemes depending on the use and stage of the building’s life cycle, distinguishing mainly between:
- New Construction Buildings (BREEAM New Construction)
- In-Use Buildings (BREEAM In-Use)
In both cases, monitoring indoor air quality is essential to earn credits in the ‘Health & Wellbeing’ section.
New Buildings – BREEAM New Construction
The Health & Wellbeing section in the construction of new buildings aims to improve the quality of life in buildings, recognising those that promote safe and healthy environments.
Within this category, a certified IAQ monitor contributes to obtaining points in the following sections:
- Hea 04 relating to air quality (up to 3 points). In order to recognise and promote an environment with excellent indoor air quality, it is necessary to create an Indoor Air Quality Plan that maximises IAQ improvement during occupancy. This will involve carrying out a series of measures and pre-testing prior to occupancy, as well as ensuring that air quality is maintained during use. In addition, it is essential to have carbon dioxide (CO2) sensors in the different spaces. It is essential to control emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds from building materials, ensuring that the concentration of TVOCs prior to occupancy does not exceed 300 µg/m³ over an 8-hour period.
- Hea 05, relating to thermal comfort (up to 1 point). In this section, continuous measurement of temperature and relative humidity allows thermal comfort to be controlled and ensured in both mechanically and manually ventilated spaces.
Buildings in Use – BREEAM In-Use
As with new buildings, the Health and Wellbeing section for buildings in use aims to promote healthy, safe and comfortable spaces for their occupants. In this section, BREEAM certification assesses both the building’s facilities and its management.
Building and facilities:
- Hea 07 – User comfort control (up to 4 points). This requirement aims to ensure that the building’s ventilation system minimises the entry of external sources of air pollution. Nanoenvi IAQ can be integrated with the BMS and HVAC system using the standardised MQTT protocol to optimise ventilation in the event of an increase in any air pollutants, as well as to report on the need for maintenance of the ventilation system filters if a decrease in performance is detected. It also ensures that building users maintain comfort levels if indoor temperatures or indoor air quality levels become uncomfortable, thanks to real-time control of these parameters and a visualisation platform accessible to all users.
- Hea 09 – Carbon Dioxide Sensors – CO₂ (up to 4 points). This point aims to promote the control of indoor conditions to ensure a healthy indoor environment by installing CO2 sensors that can be linked to the ventilation system or generate alerts if levels exceed healthy levels.
- Hea 10 – Carbon Monoxide Detection -CO (up to 2 points). This requirement aims to protect building users from harmful levels of carbon monoxide associated with combustion appliances in the building and enclosed parking areas by installing CO detectors that generate alarms to actively warn occupants.
Management and maintenance:
- Hea 14 – Thermal comfort (up to 6 points). This section seeks to ensure effective management of thermal conditions through constant monitoring, in order to adjust them as necessary so that users are always within the appropriate thermal comfort range. To achieve this, a network of temperature sensors must be implemented. Nanoenvi IAQ, in addition to pollutant parameters, continuously measures temperature, allowing credits to be obtained with this requirement.
- Hea 16 – Indoor air quality management (up to 3 points). Earn credits by implementing indoor air quality monitoring procedures and plans, using real-time measurement sensors that allow you to control CO2 and at least two other pollutants of your choice, such as TVOC, PM particles or CO, for example.
Summary table of BREEAM points
| Credit | Get up to | How does Nanoenvi IAQ help? | ||
| New construction v7 | Hea 04 | 3 points | In the IAQ Plan, as an accredited CO₂ sensor and post-construction TVOC control. | |
| Hea 05 | 1 point | Temperature and RH control to confirm the thermal comfort strategy. | ||
| In-Use v6 | Building | Hea 07 | 4 points | Real-time display of temperature and IAQ for building users and BMS integration via MQTT to optimise ventilation and ventilation filter maintenance. |
| Hea 09 | 4 points | Accredited CO₂ sensors with alarm system. | ||
| Hea 10 | 2 points | CO detectors with alarm system. | ||
| Management | Hea 14 | 6 points | Monitoring and analysis of temperature and thermal comfort. | |
| Hea 16 | 3 points | IAQ management and maintenance plans with reports that include monitoring CO₂, TVOC, PM, or CO. | ||
Source: https://breeam.com/breeam-infrastructure/technical-manuals/
How to comply with Fitwel’s IAQ Protocol and Policy and maximise the number of points?
Fitwel, operated by the Centre for Active Design (CfAD), is a pragmatic standard with strong scientific backing that seeks to improve occupant health through design and operational strategies.
The new Fitwel v3 version, launched in June 2024, represents a significant evolution in healthy building certification, as we spend more than 90% of our time indoors, making a healthy environment essential for promoting health.
In this standard, Indoor Air Quality is a fundamental component that provides points through two main mechanisms: an Assessment Protocol (how to measure) and an IAQ Policy (how to manage). Learn more about Fitwel Certification in this post.
Indoor Air Quality Assessment Protocol
This technical document specifies which parameters to measure, how often, with how many monitors and under what thresholds.
Fitwel v3 requires continuous monitoring using IAQ sensors for three key parameters:
- PM 2.5 particles, with a threshold of less than 12 µg/m
- CO₂ with a threshold of less than 1000 ppm.
- Temperature, maintained between 20 and 26ºC continuously.
Choose 3 additional parameters from the following:
- TVOC (Total Volatile Organic Compounds), with a threshold of < 500 µg/m³
- Relative humidity between 30 and 60%.
- Ozone, with a threshold of less than 0.07 ppm
- CO, with a threshold of less than 9 ppm
- Formaldehyde, at values less than 16 ppb.
- Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) less than 0.2 ppm in 8 hours TWA (extracted from ACGIH) or annual average of less than 40 ug/m3 or 21 ppm (extracted from WHO)
In order to comply with this protocol, the Nanoenvi IAQ laser particle sensor, NDIR sensor for monitoring CO2, and temperature sensor continuously record data to provide accurate and reliable measurements, demonstrating compliance at all times and validating the effectiveness of ventilation.
In addition, the TVOC sensor identifies emission sources and validates the performance of low-emission materials, as well as controlling relative humidity to remain within the range of 30-60%. It also allows CO testing to be carried out for 2 weeks, as required by Fitwel to obtain credits for this protocol.
Summary table of IAQ parameters in the Fitwel Assessment Protocol
| Fitwel IAQ Assessment Protocol | |
| Mandatory parameters | Assessment method |
| PM2.5 | Monitoring |
| CO2 | Monitoring |
| Temperature | Monitoring |
| Additional parameters | Assessment method |
| TVOC | Monitoring |
| Relative humidity | Monitoring |
| CO | Testing |
The IAQ monitoring protocol requires data at least once every 5 minutes, a maximum data loss rate of 10%, or that monitors be calibrated before shipment, requirements that Nanoenvi IAQ meets perfectly.
Indoor Air Quality Policy
Fitwel’s IAQ Policy refers to an operational policy that the building must adopt in order to control:
- Sources of air pollutants
- Ventilation and filtration
- Humidity
- Indoor air quality in the event of closure for 2 or more weeks
- Procurement of materials and equipment (to ensure low TVOC emissions)
In this area, continuous monitoring with IAQ sensors ensures compliance with this Policy to obtain the full number of points.
Thermal Comfort (Thermal Comfort)
The usefulness of Nanoenvi IAQ extends beyond IAQ protocols, simplifying other aspects of certification. To comply with thermal comfort strategies, Fitwel requires projects to monitor temperature and relative humidity and display the data on user-accessible platforms, something that the multi-user data platform facilitates, allowing additional credits to be earned in this section.
How to accelerate AirRated Certification with the Nanoenvi IAQ Monitor?
Although AirRated certification does not address global aspects of building sustainability and well-being like the previous ones, it is the benchmark standard dedicated exclusively to Indoor Air Quality.
Its philosophy is based on evidence from IAQ data, which must be reliable, accurate and sourced from quality hardware. This data is used to award scores that classify the space as “Certified”, “Silver”, “Gold” or “Platinum”.
AirRated bases its rating on the monitoring of five fundamental indoor air quality parameters:
- PM2.5 (Fine Particles)
- CO₂ (Carbon Dioxide)
- TVOCs (Total Volatile Organic Compounds)
- Temperature
- Relative Humidity
The Nanoenvi IAQ monitor simultaneously measures the five fundamental parameters that AirRated evaluates. It uses high-quality sensors to ensure that the data collected is accurate and reflects the true condition of the space, an essential requirement for certification.
Its cloud platform allows you to easily export the entire historical data set for the evaluation period: with just a few clicks, you can generate a file (in .csv format, for example) with all the records for the five required parameters, ready to be sent directly to AirRated.
In addition, prior to the certification process, the platform can be used to visualise trends, identify peaks and understand the building’s performance, allowing you to anticipate the likely rating and even propose quick improvements before the assessment is completed.
The 4 key advantages provided by the Nanoenvi IAQ monitor in the certification process
- Certified accuracy: the monitoring equipment is RESET-certified, meaning it has undergone laboratory testing to guarantee its accuracy and reliability.
- Continuous, real-time monitoring: certifications seek to guarantee the well-being of occupants at all times. Nanoenvi IAQ, with its 24/7 data logging, allows you to identify trends, pollution peaks associated with specific activities and validate the performance of ventilation systems under real occupancy conditions.
- Centralised data management: the Nanoenvi IAQ data platform allows you to view, analyse and export historical data in formats compatible with certification reports, as well as create customised alerts.
- Compliance with key parameters: the device is designed to simultaneously measure the most relevant pollutants and parameters in a single unit, such as:
- Particulate matter – PM1, PM2.5, PM4 and PM10
- Carbon dioxide – CO₂
- Total volatile organic compounds – TVOCs
- Ozone – O3
- Temperature and relative humidity
Conclusion: an indoor air quality monitoring tool with multiple benefits
The field of healthy and sustainable space certification is becoming increasingly demanding.
Indoor air quality has gone from being a secondary factor to one of the fundamental requirements for ensuring the sustainability and well-being of occupants.
The Nanoenvi IAQ professional monitor has been designed to be a tool that makes it easy to obtain a large number of points, avoiding paperwork and hours of document management thanks to its RESET accreditation.
Please contact us for more information and to schedule a demonstration with our experts.
