![Breathing Easier: North Carolina HVAC contractor Duane Gentry has seen demand for energy-recovery ventilators (ERVs) jump with efforts to achieve increased energy efficiency and better indoor air quality. "With new state energy codes [reducing air infiltration], it won't be long before they're mandated for all homes," he says.](https://builderonline.stg.zonda.onl/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/tmp1f64-2etmp-tcm138-462938.jpg?w=1024)
As building envelopes get tighter, air flow through the building is choked off and VOCs and allergens are trapped inside homes. In light of concerns about the amount of formaldehyde found in Lumber Liquidators’ products (which only violated California standards), more home buyers are going to be concerned about the level of air quality in their new living spaces.
Here’s what you need to know about indoor air quality and how you can make your homes healthier and your customers happier:
1. IAQ FAQ: What Builders Should Know covers the basics surrounding IAQ that builders should be aware of and offers in-the-field advice for addressing potential IAQ problems.
2. EPA’s First Indoor airPLUS Guidance Module looks into the first of seven technical guidance modules addressing necessary construction methods, equipment, and materials to meet the program’s specifications.
3. Clearing the Air dives into air filter quality and what you should look for when putting an air filter in your new, tightly sealed homes.
4. Software Analyzes and Predicts IAQ takes a look at the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s free indoor air quality analysis system that aims to help engineers determine contaminant concentrations.
5. De-Mystifying Indoor Air Quality shows that indoor air quality may be more polluted that outdoor air and offers strategies to ensure healthier air inside homes, in addition to best practices to pass on to your clients.
6. New Directions for Indoor Air Quality features a Q+A with Marilyn Black, who founded Air Quality Sciences, a testing and research service focused on chemical and biological air pollution.
7. UV Air Purifier installs in the HVAC system, zapping mold spores and killing bacteria.
8. The Future of Indoor Air analyzes the best defenses for indoor air pollutants and the emerging technologies and people you should be working with to provide consumers with healthier homes.
