When the Indoor Air Quality Procedure Matters Most: Designing for Ventilation Efficiency and Cost Savings
In today’s building environment, ventilation efficiency is more than a sustainability upgrade, it’s a capital cost strategy. More teams are looking at how to simplify HVAC systems and improve energy efficiency while lowering total cost of ownership. The Indoor Air Quality Procedure (IAQP) helps make that balance possible.
While the Ventilation Rate Procedure (VRP) remains a familiar method, IAQP offers a different lens: one focused on targeted contaminant control, indoor air quality monitoring, and opportunities to right-size HVAC infrastructure from day one.
In certain building types and conditions, the IAQP creates an outsized advantage, delivering measurable gains in performance, cost, and air quality resilience. Here’s where it tends to make the most impact.
In Climates Where Outdoor Air Is Costly to Condition
Cooling and dehumidifying hot, humid outdoor air, or heating frigid winter air can account for a substantial portion of a building’s energy profile. In these environments, outdoor airflow carries significant equipment capacity demands and complexity. Thoughtfully reducing outdoor air by adding effective air cleaning is the key to unlocking savings. On an ongoing basis it is more efficient to clean indoor air than to condition outdoor air. IAQP offers an approach that maintains healthy indoor air quality while reducing reliance on outdoor air intake, improving ventilation efficiency by design. It’s a way to meet air quality goals while minimizing thermal load. Many customers also eliminate HVAC complexity like energy recovery systems through this design approach.
In High-Density or Intermittently Used Spaces
Auditoriums, worship spaces, gyms, and multi-use venues often operate under varying occupancy levels. Designing ventilation for a practical peak load in high density spaces determines system size and complex demand control ventilation strategies to limit energy use. IAQP allows for a different kind of planning; clean recirculated air instead of adding more dilution for constantly lower outdoor airflow volume. Intelligent filtration and in-space air cleaning help maintain air quality where and when it matters.
In Renovation and Adaptive Reuse Projects
Some projects are constrained by existing ductwork, limited ceiling space, or historical preservation rules. Here, ventilation efficiency means doing more with less. IAQP supports designs that align with real-world infrastructure limits, offering flexibility in how air quality goals are achieved. Technologies like smartIAQ® can be deployed independently of central HVAC systems, enabling air quality control even in challenging retrofit environments.
When Ventilation Load Drives Equipment Selection
In many cases, the need to meet outdoor air volume targets determines system size. That can mean more tons of cooling, larger ductwork, and higher capital outlay. By focusing on design targets for contaminant removal instead of default air change rates, IAQP often enables smaller, simpler systems. In one recent church project, applying IAQP with smartIAQ led to a 75-ton reduction in HVAC equipment and $172,000 in immediate capital savings, without compromising indoor air quality.
In Areas with Poor or Variable Outdoor Air Quality
From wildfire smoke to traffic pollution, outdoor air isn’t always a clean resource. Reducing intake during these events can help maintain better indoor conditions. IAQP allows designers to focus on controlling what comes into the space and deploy validated technologies that address ozone, PM2.5, and VOCs. The result is a more resilient building that can maintain indoor air quality even when outdoor conditions shift unexpectedly.
Raising the Right Questions at the Right Time
The IAQP isn’t a replacement for tried-and-true ventilation methods. It’s a complementary path, a way to expand the toolkit for engineers who are balancing energy goals, space constraints, and occupant health. As updated ASHRAE 62.1 guidance has made IAQP more prescriptive and accessible, its role in modern ventilation design is growing.
At its core, IAQP is a framework for applying ventilation efficiency with precision. It encourages a shift from “how much air do we need to move?” to “what outcome do we want to deliver?”
And in today’s market, that shift can unlock meaningful advantages, including streamlined system design, lower upfront HVAC costs, and targeted, measurable indoor air quality performance.
Ventilation efficiency isn’t just about energy. It’s about designing smarter right from the start.
To learn more about how ventilation efficiency, the IAQP, and smartIAQ can support your next project, visit gpsair.com/smartiaq or connect with our Application Engineering Team.
