Across the country, businesses are moving to address ESG pressures with increased urgency. Most notably, says Dan Diehl, CEO of Aircuity, a leader in creating healthy and sustainable buildings, this has become a major priority among many of the Life Sciences and Higher Education facilities Aircuity regularly services. As such, the company has recently released guidance for these facilities in advance of its commitment to helping their clients meet these current goals.

“ESG pressures are real and staying below the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold is critically important,” said Dan Diehl, CEO of Aircuity. “As companies increasingly adopt standardized sustainability reporting frameworks for investors, we are working to implement proven and impactful strategies which can be quickly implemented. It’s important to complete these measures first, so downstream strategies/projects require less capital. There is real power in solving to a new and much lower energy base building load profile.”

Adopting an “Energy Efficiency First” Approach to Decarbonization

Based on Aircuity’s 20 years of expertise in the field, Diehl notes that research labs, vivaria and even clean rooms are some of the best places to tackle decarbonization efforts in Life Science and Higher Education facilities. As an example, one client focusing on these specific areas, saw a 5X Net Present Value (NPV) return on every dollar invested in ventilation optimization while also advancing its social goals, according to the company.

Using an “energy efficiency first” strategy before implementing other carbon reduction measures, notes Diehl, reduces the capital cost of those measures and improves the overall Return on Investment (ROI)/NPV of the decarbonization effort. Other benefits include reduced deferred maintenance, improved sequence of operations and lower life cycle costs, all while creating healthier IAQ for occupants.

“The climate crisis is perhaps the biggest challenge we will face in our lifetime. It is our great privilege and responsibility to be part of the solution,” states Diehl. “Aircuity looks forward to collaborating with customers, architects and engineers to substantially reduce energy use and decarbonize their facilities.”