Enjoy
clean air from “New Zealand”
– IEQ Global moves into indoor environmental quality
industry
IEQ Global Pte Ltd was set up
two years ago by New Zealand hoteliers, Mr Keith
Tang and Mr Jeffrey Tang with the intention of
“bringing” clean air from New Zealand back to
Singapore and providing solutions to indoor
environmental quality needs.
The Tang brothers belong to the
third generation of the C.K. Tang legacy. According
to Executive Director of IEQ Global, Mr Jeffrey
Tang, his father, Mr Tang Wee Cheng was the founder
of Dynasty Hotel in 1980s and the Tang brothers has
followed their father’s lead in the hotel business
and set up a chain of 10 hotels in New Zealand under
the Heritage Hotels brand.
Explaining his interest in
indoor environmental quality (IEQ) while being in
the hotel business, Mr Jeffrey Tang says, “I have
always been in search of new ways to improve my
hotel’s quality, especially in areas of service and
cleanliness, specifically in the area of air
quality. One day, I spotted an advertisement in the
newspapers for allergy friendly hotel rooms and
became inspired by the significant potential of the
indoor environmental quality industry.
Mr Jeffrey Tang points out that
Singapore’s air quality pales in comparison in
relation to New Zealand’s. The results from a direct
comparison using a particle counter revealed that
the particle count for a resort in Queenstown showed
600,000 particle count per cubic foot whereas a
measurement taken at Newton district in Singapore
showed 3,000,000 particle count per cubic foot.
He explains that particle count
shows the composition of bacteria and virus in the
air. Higher particle counts translate to more
harmful gases in the air which will affect a human’s
health. “A particle count of less than 1 million per
cubic foot is an acceptable level for human’s
comfort.”
Hence, the Tang brothers
decided to set up IEQ Global and “bring” clean air
from New Zealand to Singapore.
Mr Tang further explained that
“Singapore is an ‘air conditioned city’. Most people
spend more than 90% of their time indoors. Hence the
quality of air in their indoor environment becomes
vital to health.”
For example, one of IEQ
Global’s client was detected to measure a 20 million
particle count in their Singapore factory. Staff had
been complaining of excessive stuffiness and
persistent odour problem.
“Every building has a
‘respiratory system’. When the ‘respiratory system’
becomes clogged with bacteria, viruses and mould, it
becomes a ‘sick’ building and will cause discomfort
to the building occupants.”
He points out that improving
indoor environmental quality not only protects the
building occupants’ health and aids in reducing
carbon footprints hence encouraging environmental
protection. For example, when one falls ill, he may
opt to take a less crowded mode of transport such as
taxis or cars so as not to spread his germs to
others, this will indirectly cause more carbon
emissions. IEQ Global also has a multi-enzyme based
treatment for cooling coils which is biodegradable
and aids in energy savings for air conditioning
systems.
Five essential components of
indoor environmental quality
There are five major components
to indoor environmental quality: ventilation, air
quality, temperature, noise and illumination. IEQ
Global recommends a customized solution to each
client’s problem upon site inspection.
IEQ Global’s current clientele
includes multinational companies such hotels,
commercial buildings, factories, marine vessels etc.
Mr Tang further explains that
indoor environmental quality may be a premature
industry but there are many companies who have seen
the benefits of this service. A commercial bank
corporation has taken steps to install air
purification systems within the offices to provide
better working environments for their staff which in
turn reduces staff absenteeism and medical bills,
hence resulting in higher productivity and
profitability for the organization.
