Several WELL strategies within the WELL Building Standard version 2 (WELL v2) and WELL Ratings can be pursued through the implementation of permanently installed continuous monitors that measure environmental parameters through sensor technology.

There are currently three types of WELL strategies that utilize continuous monitors. Each have specific verification methods, based on their intent and requirements:

Monitor deployment

Strategies that require the installation and maintenance of continuous monitors for informative purposes are verified by multiple verification methods:

• A08 Air Quality Monitoring and Awareness
  • Part 1: Install Indoor Air Monitors
• T06 Thermal Comfort Monitoring
  • Part 1: Monitor Thermal Environment

Verification Methods

• Engineer’s Letter of Assurance and On-site Photographs verify that monitors meet specifications and placement requirements outlined in the Performance Verification Guidebook. An Engineer’s Letter of Assurance must be submitted during documentation review. On-site Photographs must be submitted either by 1) the project team, during documentation review or 2) a performance testing agent, during on-site performance testing. These documents must be submitted during initial WELL Certification or Rating Award and, if there have been any changes, during recertification/renewal to demonstrate compliance.
• On-going Maintenance Reports verify that monitors meet the maintenance and calibration requirements outlined in the Performance Verification Guidebook after a project has achieved WELL Certification or a WELL Rating. The report must include proof of maintenance and calibration, in a frequency as described in the Guidebook. IWBI provides ongoing reporting templates that projects can use to incorporate ongoing WELL requirements into existing operational protocols and data record keeping–however, reports are not required to follow a specific format. More detailed information regarding ongoing reporting can be found in the ‘Submit ongoing reporting’ section of our knowledge base. On-going Maintenance Reports are not required during initial WELL Certification or Rating Award–they must be uploaded to WELL Online after a project has been certified/been awarded, per the frequency described in the Performance Verification Guidebook (e.g., annually for air quality parameters).
• Note for projects utilizing monitor-deployment strategies published in WELL Addenda v2 Q1-Q2 2024 and newer:
  • Sensor measurement data is not required for projects utilizing monitor-deployment strategies. Earlier Addenda (Q4 2023 Addenda and prior) for monitor-deployment strategies utilized the verification method On-going Data reports instead of On-going Maintenance Reports, which required annual measurement data in addition to proof of calibration.
  • On-going Data/Maintenance Reports are not required for projects utilizing thermal comfort monitor-deployment strategies. With the removal of the annual measurement data reporting requirement, calibration requirements (3 years for thermal comfort parameters) can be verified through an Engineer’s Letter of Assurance and On-site Photographs, submitted during recertification/renewal. Earlier Addenda (Q4 2023 Addenda and prior) required annual measurement data and proof of calibration to be uploaded to WELL Online regularly.

Performance-based

Strategies that require monitor measurements to meet performance thresholds which are verified by Sensor Data:

• A01 Air Quality
  • Part 1: Meet Threshold for Particulate Matter
    • Option 1: Acceptable Thresholds 
    • Option 2: Modified thresholds in polluted regions
    • Option 3: Dynamic thresholds in polluted regions 
  • Part 2: Meet Thresholds for Organic Gases
    • Option 2: TVOC continuous monitoring 
  • Part 3: Meet Thresholds For Inorganic Gases
  • Part 4: Meet Thresholds for Radon 
    • Option 1: Radon testing 
• A03 Ventilation Design
  • Part 1: Ensure Adequate Ventilation 
    • Option 4: Ventilation monitoring 
• A05 Enhanced Air Quality
  • Part 1: Meet Enhanced Thresholds for Particulate Matter 
  • Part 3: Meet Enhanced Thresholds For Inorganic Gases
• A06 Enhanced Ventilation Design
  • Part 1: Increase Outdoor Air Supply 
    • Option 4: Ventilation monitoring 
• T01 Thermal Performance
  • Part 1: Provide Acceptable Thermal Environment
    • Option 2: Long-term thermal data 
• T07 Humidity Control
  • Part 1: Manage Relative Humidity 
    • Option 3: Long-term humidity data

Verification Method

• Sensor Data verifies that monitors meet requirements outlined in the Performance Verification Guidebook and calculates threshold compliance with the provided measurement data. Sensor data must be submitted during documentation or performance review during initial WELL Certification or Rating Award and during recertification/renewal to demonstrate compliance. Projects must submit at least one calendar month of measurement data for initial certification/award. For recertification/renewal, projects must include data from the time period since the previous award date. Sensor data must be submitted using the Sensor Data Template, and must include the following (see Sensor Data: Submission and Reporting Requirements section of the Performance Verification Guidebook for further details):
  • Monitor Master List: a list of all continuous monitors and static parameters for a project
  • Sensor data file
  • An annotated floor plan with the project size and monitor locations
  • Photographs of each monitor location including, when possible, the background of the space to provide context (e.g., height, away from potential influences)
  • Documentation confirming eligibility for placement of monitors on the ceiling (if applicable)

Further details regarding sensor technology, monitor placement, and density can be found in the Continuous Monitoring Protocols for WELL section (beginning on page 35) of the Performance Verification Guidebook.

Periodic measurement

Strategies that require the periodic measurement of environmental parameters for informative purposes are verified by On-going Data Reports:

• A01 Air Quality
  • Part 5: Measure Air Parameters
• T01 Thermal Performance
  • Part 2: Measure Thermal Parameters
    • Option 1: Semi-annual testing

Verification Method

• On-going Data Reports verify that parameter measurements are collected at the density outlined in the Performance Verification Guidebook and the frequency outlined in the feature requirements, after a project has achieved WELL Certification or a Rating Award. Note that these measurements do not need to follow the device requirements or test methods described in the Performance Verification Guidebook (see Feature Note for details). IWBI provides ongoing reporting templates that projects can use to incorporate ongoing WELL requirements into existing operational protocols and data record keeping–however, reports are not required to follow a specific format. More detailed information regarding ongoing reporting can be found in the ‘Submit ongoing reporting’ section of our knowledge base. On-going Data Reports are not required during initial WELL Certification or Award–they must be uploaded annually to WELL Online after a project has been certified/been awarded, per the measurement frequency described in the feature requirements (e.g., twice per year for thermal comfort parameters).