What a indoor air quality assessment covers
An indoor air quality (IAQ) assessment measures airborne pollutants — particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, formaldehyde, and biological contaminants — across rooms over time. Findings inform both immediate remediation and longer-term retrofit decisions on ventilation, materials, and behaviour.
- Multi-day continuous monitoring of CO2, PM2.5, PM10, VOCs, NO2
- Single-point sampling for formaldehyde and other aldehydes
- Mould and bacterial sampling where biological contamination suspected
- Ventilation rate calculation against occupancy
- Room-by-room mapping with recommendations
- Written report with action priorities and follow-up monitoring plan
Typical findings
- Bedroom CO2 routinely exceeding 1500 ppm overnight (under-ventilated)
- Cooking-related PM2.5 spikes in unvented kitchens
- Elevated VOCs in newly furnished or decorated rooms
- Outdoor NO2 ingress in homes near busy roads
- Mould-spore counts elevated in affected rooms, normal in unaffected
Typical cost: £600-£1,200 typical IAQ assessment with multi-day monitoring, £1,200-£2,500 with biological sampling
When to book: When a household member has unexplained respiratory symptoms or atopic flares that worsen at home, after suspected mould exposure, or as part of a broader retrofit-readiness assessment.
Required qualifications for assessor: BOHS (British Occupational Hygiene Society) membership, CIEH (Chartered Institute of Environmental Health) accreditation, or RSPH-recognised IAQ qualification with calibrated monitoring equipment