The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a new program in early 2009 to guide homebuilders through the process of constructing new homes that provide a healthy indoor environment, and it’s slowly been gaining traction. The Indoor airPLUS for Homes program, which complements the Energy Star Qualified Homes program, is designed to protect occupants from common pollutants—such as formaldehyde and other VOCs, radon, and mold—that can trigger allergies, asthma, and other serious respiratory conditions.
According to EPA research, Americans on average spend 90 percent of their time indoors, and about 60 percent of that time is spent inside homes. “Indoor air can have, on average, two to five times higher concentrations of harmful chemicals and VOCs that can cause respiratory issues,” says Eric Werling, Indoor airPLUS coordinator in the EPA’s Indoor Environments Division.
Over the past few decades, Americans have grown increasingly concerned about the health of their homes and the materials they bring into them. A 2005 EPA study indicated that Americans spent about $1 billion annually on solutions for commercial and residential indoor air quality (IAQ) problems, although many of the solutions purchased were ineffective. There is definitely room in the marketplace alongside and integrated with green home building for homes with healthy indoor environments.
Rather than following both the Energy Star and WaterSense program models, the Indoor airPLUS program is designed to address only homes, not products. In developing the program, EPA’s Indoor Environments Division evaluated industry best practices and identified those that are most feasible for builders to accomplish and most necessary for healthy indoor environments. None of the program’s requirements are new in the industry, but few builders implement them all.
To be eligible for the Indoor airPLUS program, a home must first be built to meet the Energy Star Homes guidelines and achieve certification. Then, the following seven steps must be met to achieve Indoor airPLUS certification:
1. Moisture Control—managing site and foundation drainage and preventing moisture intrusion through walls, penetrations, windows, doors, and roofs to reduce the opportunity for mold growth.
2. Radon Control—required only for homes in EPA Radon Zone 1, which are at high risk for radon infiltration, or where required by local building codes.
3. Pest Barriers—eliminating pathways for the intrusion of insects and animals that can contribute to or exacerbate respiratory issues (e.g., cockroaches, dust mites, rodents, and birds).
4. HVAC Systems—properly sizing heating and cooling systems, properly designing and sealing ducts, and providing adequate ventilation, filtration, and dehumidification.
5. Combustion Pollutant Control—eliminating pollutants created by fireplaces and water- and space-heating equipment; installing carbon monoxide alarms; and isolating attached garages and properly venting them away from conditioned spaces.
6. Low-Emission Materials—using construction and finish materials that are certified by independent, third-party programs as emitting low levels of harmful VOCs and other chemicals.
7. Home Commissioning—ensuring all systems and equipment work properly, ensuring the home has been adequately ventilated following installation of materials that introduce pollutants (carpeting, cabinets, painting), and providing homeowners with documentation of the home’s IAQ features along with operating and maintenance instructions.
Through these measures, Indoor airPLUS addresses most of the emissions found in a new home, but it can’t account for those caused by materials and furnishings the owners choose. “One of the largest sources of emissions in homes is the stuff that people bring into their homes,” Werling notes.
While many of the green home building programs operating in the marketplace address IAQ as a component of home sustainability, they all allow a certain amount of flexibility in terms of the IAQ measures that are required. However, Indoor airPLUS’ more focused and stringent requirements complement any of the green home building programs, such as the National Green Building Standard or LEED for Homes, according to Werling.
Learn more about the Indoor airPLUS program and how to become a partner builder at www.epa.gov/indoorairplus. Take a tour of the EPA’s IAQ House to learn about the different types of pollutants that are common in homes.
