Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a term referring to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants.

IAQ can be affected by a number of variables, including but not limited to microbial contaminants (mold, bacteria), gases (including carbon monoxide, radon, or volatile organic compounds – VOC’s), chemicals, particulates, or any mass or energy stressor that can induce adverse health conditions.

The primary methods for improving indoor air quality in most buildings are - using ventilation to dilute contaminants, filtration, and source control. Many times it is impossible to pinpoint and eliminate the sources, so other methods of action must be taken.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that your indoor air quality can be much worse than the air quality outside your home. Statistics show that human beings can spend up to 90% of their time indoors on any given day, making Indoor Air Quality a very important subject.

In the past, a home or business had high enough infiltration rates that the home could “breathe”, exchanging the stale air from within the home with fresh air from the outside. These days, a focus has been put on making homes very “tight” by utilizing new building methods, which in turn can trap unhealthy air.

From an HVAC standpoint, the keys to good indoor air quality are – bringing in fresh air to a home with an infiltration rate of less than .35 air changes per hour (per ASHRAE 62.2) and installing Whole-Home Indoor Air Cleaners.

These new and advanced Whole Home Air Filtration Systems are measured by ASHRAE using a MERV Rating. MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value, and the ratings range from 1 – 16, measured in microns. Some of the common particles related to MERV ratings are pet dander, insecticide dust, smog, dust, viruses, wood, tobacco smoke, spores, bacteria and pollen.

There are other products on the market that can also help with IAQ issues. Please contact Premier A/C to learn more about products that can help improve the indoor air quality in your home or office.