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In post-pandemic New Zealand, Kiwis are more anxious and
aware of the risks posed by airborne viruses (and stagnant
air) than ever before, which has led to increased demand for
better control of our indoor environments.
In line
with trends overseas, New Zealand-based building performance
solution company Tether is positioning itself to meet the
demand for better air quality.
Tether founder and CEO
Brandon van Blerk said today that the launch of Tether’s
Airborne Index technology—a sensor-based early warning
system that identifies threats from viruses and aerosol
particles—had attracted unprecedented interest both
locally and overseas.
The technology is an update of
its popular COVID Care monitor, launched in 2021. Almost
like canaries that miners carried into coal mines at the
turn of the century, Tether’s Airborne Index technology
measures carbon dioxide (CO2) and particulate matter levels
to determine insufficienct ventilation rates as an early
warning system.
The real-time data is used by people
such as facilities managers, teachers and building owners to
accurately identify risk levels, take appropriate action and
measure the impact of the actions they have taken. The data
can also be viewed in real-time and remotely using a
smartphone app.
“We’re renaming the service Airborne
Index since we felt the last name didn’t capture the full
power of what the software can do.
“Good ventilation
doesn’t just reduce the spread of COVID-19; it reduces the
spread of all airborne viruses. The name Airborne index
gives our product more longevity,” van Blerk said.
The
objective of the Airborne Index is to reduce anxiety about
viruses and other particulates by providing clear insights
into the health of buildings. By using the device, people
can take the best actions immediately by, for example,
opening windows, turning on air ventilation or even
evacuating the room until a better air balance is
restored.
“Protection from viruses is just one aspect
of what Airborne Index does. But it’s much more than
that.
“High levels of CO2 and particulates can have a
major impact on cognitive function, and a well-ventilated
environment will increase productivity and overall
wellbeing,” van Blerk said.
The name Airborne Index is
partially a result of van Blerk’s successful visit to the
London Tech Week 2022 at the invitation of the British
Consulate.
The trip also put Tether in front of major
UK government ministries and dozens of housing companies
across the country. Van Blerk said the UK Government
officials were incredibly excited to discuss how solutions
like Airborne Index could help facilitate the British
Government’s recent upgrade of its building
regulations.
“As of June, this year, every commercial
building in the UK that is over a specific size must install
CO2 monitors for the purpose of understanding ventilation
rates. Upgrading the building regulations like this is going
for the jugular. The UK Government is putting a lot of
effort into improving the health of its
buildings.”
Van Blerk offerered these tips drawn
from his visit to the UK:
1. Tech offers a
future without masks
New Zealand’s efforts to
combat COVID-19 primarily focused on mask-wearing and social
distancing. The UK has gone the other way, van Blerk
said.
“With its updates to the building regulations,
the UK is shouldering the responsibility to improve the
indoor air quality and standards of all its buildings. It
has chosen a fence at the top of the cliff approach. New
Zealand could learn a lot from this,” van Blerk
said.
2. Red tape no
answer
The UK government’s approach to focus
on the health of its homes is “lightyears” ahead of New
Zealand’s strategy, which is still stuck on red tape and
regulatory obstacles.
“We talk a big game in
New Zealand, but we don’t play a big game. The UK government
understands better how monitoring building performance will
mean people can be confident the buildings they occupy won’t
be part of a super-spreader event,” he
said.
3. Cliques stifling
innovation
Van Blerk said he would like to
see less ‘protecting of territory’ from businesses in New
Zealand and more focus on solving problems.
“People
have their suppliers. They get comfortable with them; it’s
easy, it’s matey, and innovation and competition get
stifled. To create healthy, productive homes and workplaces
for people, we need to focus more on innovation and less on
long-established cliques.”
Tether is a New
Zealand-based tech company founded in 2018 to solve building
performance problems and thereby improve people’s health,
reduce cost and create a sustainable future through a range
of software and hardware products designed, developed, and
manufactured from the ground up in New Zealand. The
company’s proof-of-performance solutions enable data-driven
insights through modelling, monitoring and data
analysis.
For more information visit: https://www.tether.co.nz/
© Scoop Media
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