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Indoor air quality, or IAQ, refers to the quality of the air people breathe while indoors. It is estimated that people in Western countries spend up to 90 percent of their time indoors and good interior air quality is crucial to their health and well-being. Just how harmful can poor IAQ be? Some say that it can be up to 10 times worse than outdoor smog.

Because of this, IAQ is taking on greater importance in the building industry. After all, the health consequences of poor IAQ can range from minor (increased allergies) to major (asthma, respiratory issues and even greater risk of lung cancer). It’s why any green construction project should always include ways to clean the air within the home and ways to maintain good IAQ. Here’s a closer look:

Green Building and IAQ

There are several things that a green building project should include to ensure good IAQ:

• Air purification Systems: These attach to the home’s HVAC system and purify the air through filtration, helping to control allergens and other potentially harmful contaminants. Many of today’s more eco-friendly HVAC systems include some sort of air purification system.
• Efficient Ventilation systems: These types of whole-house ventilation systems also integrate with the home’s HVAC system and work to bring fresh air into the home. An additional bonus of these systems is that they are energy efficient, so there’s also likely to be a cost savings over time.
• Green Materials: When it comes to home building these days, opt for paints with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and solvent-less construction adhesives and finishes. Also, stay away from materials containing asbestos.
• Good bathroom ventilation: Bathrooms need to be equipped with adequate ventilation systems to prevent mold and mildew growth.

Maintaining Good IAQ

Having your home constructed using safer building materials and more sustainable equipment is a good start to ensure clean interior air, but there’s also a bit of maintenance that homeowners should perform to ensure that IAQ stays good:

• Change the HVAC filter: Check your HVAC system’s user manual to see how often this should be done. When filters become too soiled, the system not only has to work harder, but it doesn’t do a good job of trapping contaminants. Learn more about our FilterFetch, air filter home delivery service: https://experthvacandrefrigeration.com/filter-fetch/
• Clean the air ducts: For homeowners with bad allergies, cleaning the air ducts every 2-3 years can help remove contaminants and debris from the ducts, and keep them out of your home.
• Convert to refrigerated air: Evaporative coolers may work for cooling the home on many days, but they provide bad IAQ and that is consequential if you have allergies or respiratory problems. Considering converting and cleaning up the air in your indoor air. We can help! https://experthvacandrefrigeration.com/refrigerated-air-conversion/

Investing in systems and materials that create & support an environment of good air quality means that people will be able to live and work there for years to come with no ill health effects. In the long run, the investment will more than pay off.