WELL v2 Performance Verification for Air and Thermal Comfort

WELL v2 and Performance Verification

The WELL Building Standard v2 (IWBI) certifies buildings on a points basis across ten concepts. Unlike a one-time design review, WELL requires Performance Verification, on-site or post-occupancy testing of selected features before certification is awarded and at recertification.

What Gets Verified

• Air (A01 to A09): particulate PM2.5 and PM10, TVOC, formaldehyde, CO2, and surface or air pathogen-control measures are sampled in occupied spaces.
• Thermal Comfort (T01 to T03): thermal comfort surveys plus measurement of temperature and humidity gradients.
• Sound (S01 to S07): reverberation time and background noise measurements.

Verification is performed by WELL Performance Verification reviewers using standardized protocols. Features are tiered as Preconditions (mandatory), Featured, or Optimized, certification tiers Silver, Gold, and Platinum depend on overall achievement plus all preconditions met.

Link to Ventilation Design

WELL air-quality thresholds build directly on WELL ventilation concepts and complement the RESET air monitoring approach. Energy recovery that delivers clean, tempered outdoor air helps projects pass both the airflow and the contaminant-sampling checks without oversizing equipment.

In practice, passing Performance Verification depends on having continuous or periodic data, so projects increasingly install permanent IAQ sensors rather than relying only on a one-off spot test. Recovery-equipped systems help because they temper large outdoor-air volumes without large thermal swings, keeping the space within the thermal-comfort band that surveys measure. Documenting the ventilation rate and the filter maintenance schedule also supports the air-feature evidence. Because WELL repeats verification at recertification, specifying durable, low-maintenance recovery cores reduces the operational burden at each cycle. The standard’s emphasis on measured outcomes aligns with the broader shift away from design-only claims toward post-occupancy proof of performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is WELL v2 Performance Verification?
It is on-site or post-occupancy testing of selected features before certification and at recertification, unlike a one-time design review, to confirm measured performance.

Which air and comfort metrics does WELL verify?
Air features sample PM2.5, PM10, TVOC, formaldehyde, CO2, and pathogen controls, while thermal comfort features use surveys plus temperature and humidity measurements.

How does energy recovery help a project pass WELL?
Recovery delivers clean, tempered outdoor air without large thermal swings, helping projects meet both airflow and contaminant-sampling checks without oversizing equipment.

How often is WELL Performance Verification repeated?
Verification is repeated at each recertification, so durable low-maintenance recovery cores reduce the operational burden over the building’s certified life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is WELL v2 Performance Verification?

It is on-site or post-occupancy testing of selected features before certification and at recertification, unlike a one-time design review, to confirm measured performance.

Which air and comfort metrics does WELL verify?

Air features sample PM2.5, PM10, TVOC, formaldehyde, CO2, and pathogen controls, while thermal comfort features use surveys plus temperature and humidity measurements.

How does energy recovery help a project pass WELL?

Recovery delivers clean, tempered outdoor air without large thermal swings, helping projects meet both airflow and contaminant-sampling checks without oversizing equipment.

How often is WELL Performance Verification repeated?

Verification is repeated at each recertification, so durable low-maintenance recovery cores reduce the operational burden over the building's certified life.