Chicago has most air-conditioned homes: Study

Humidity and temperature determines
the number of air conditioned homes.

You might think that hot climates drive the demand for indoor air conditioning.

But the results of a recent study on the prevalence of homes with HVAC systems might surprise you.

When it comes to demand for homes with central air conditioners, it’s not the heat; it’s the humidity.

A RealtyTrac analysis of homes in U.S. cities with more than 100,000 residents showed that cities with high humidity and temperatures, not just one or the other, have the most homes with central air.

Yet Chicago, which is among neither the hottest nor the most humid cities, outranked scorchers like Houston, Miami, and Phoenix on RealtyTrac’s list of “coolest” cities.

Rounding out the list where central A/C is a must-have were Philadelphia; San Antonio, TX; Portland, OR; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; St. Louis, MO; Orlando, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Atlanta; Charlotte, NC; and Indianapolis.

Except for a few West Coast cities with mild, year-round climates, air conditioners come standard in most new homes, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

As their use increases, builders have been able to upsell more energy-efficient models.

Source: Construction Drive

Don't let poor IAQ affect productivity

Many HVAC systems excel in heating or cooling a home, but they often get a failing grade when it comes to indoor air quality.

Exposure to indoor air pollutants may affect people's health, well-being and productivity, making cleaner indoor air an important goal at home and at work.

In fact, a committee of the World Health Organization estimates that as many as 30 percent of new or remodeled buildings may have unusually high rates of sick building complaints. While this is often temporary, some buildings have long-term problems which linger, even after corrective action. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reports that poor ventilation is an important contributing factor in many sick building cases. (Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)

Electrocorp has designed a wide range of industrial and commercial air cleaners that remove airborne chemicals, odors and particles and provide cleaner and more breathable air.

Electrocorp is the industrial division of AllerAir, a company that offers residential and office air purifiers with activated carbon and HEPA.

For more information and a free consultation, contact Electrocorp at 1-866-667-0297 or write to info@electrocorp.net.

Healthy schools: HVAC tips for winter

Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning system keeps schools comfortable in colder months

Poor indoor air quality in schools may affect health and
well-being of students, teachers and staff.

Quality HVAC system design, operation and maintenance are critical for providing healthy IAQ in schools.

Properly functioning HVAC systems provide adequate ventilation, control odors and reduce the pollutants that cause most IAQ problems inside school buildings. In addition to improving occupant health and performance, regular HVAC maintenance saves energy.


In anticipation of the colder months, schools should pay special attention to their HAVC units, including:

• Be aware of indoor humidity levels as the outside temperature drops. To protect health, comfort, the school building and its contents, it is important that indoor relative humidity be maintained below 60%, ideally between 30% and 50%.

Did You Know?

In colder climates, there can be operating conditions which will cause freezing within the energy recovery heat exchanger and it is often necessary to equip ERV systems with a frost control option.

• Ensure that facilities and maintenance staff change filters on a regular basis. Air filters should have a dust-spot rating between 35% and 80% or a Minimum Efficiency Rating Value (MERV) between 8 and 13 depending on the compatibility of your air handling unit. The higher the MERV rating, the more particulates will be filtered.
• Ensure proper ventilation as there are significant spatial and seasonal variations in the volume of air delivered by most HVAC systems. Learn more by checking out the ASHRAE Standard 62-2013.
• Have a plan to ensure HVAC systems are functioning property over winter and holiday breaks. With intermittent building occupancy over breaks, outdoor air ventilation rates may need to be adjusted. Check all air registers to ensure that they are not obstructed by furniture or large objects that may have been moved inadvertently.

HVAC Resources

Checklist: Download and use the ventilation checklist. Tailor it to fit the needs of your individual school or district.

Software: The School Advanced Ventilation Engineering Software (SAVES) package is a tool to help school designers assess the potential financial payback and indoor humidity control benefits of Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) systems for school applications. Both SAVES software tools (the Energy Recovery Ventilation Financial Assessment Software Tool (EFAST) and the Indoor Humidity Assessment Tool (IHAT)) can be downloaded here.

Standards: School HVAC systems should be designed and operated to provide a minimum outdoor air ventilation rate consistent with current ASHRAE Standards 62.1. For classrooms, this standard is about 15 cubic feet per minute (cfm) of outdoor air per person.

Webinars: Poorly maintained HVAC units can lead to IAQ problems, such as mold issues. For additional information on how to create healthy learning environments in the winter, download the two webinars, Mold and Moisture: Double Trouble for Schools and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Schools - Basics for Winter.

Source: EPA

Protect school's IAQ with air cleaners

While the HVAC system plays a major role in keeping a school's indoor air environment healthy and comfortable, many educational facilities are plagued by poor indoor air quality, which can negatively affect students, teachers and staff.

Electrocorp's RAP series
provide cleaner air.

Health, well-being and productivity may suffer when the air contains high levels of VOCs, mold, bacteria, viruses, allergens, particles and chemical fumes.

Apart from source control and ventilation, schools can improve their indoor air quality with a few well-placed indoor air cleaners. Electrocorp has designed a variety of indoor air purifiers for schools and universities that provide cleaner and more breathable air all day long.

The air cleaners feature a comprehensive activated carbon and HEPA air filter system, which removes a wide range of chemicals, odors, particles, dust, allergens and fumes.

Optional UV germicidal filtration helps neutralize biological contaminants such as bacteria, viruses and mold.

For more information, contact Electrocorp and speak to an IAQ expert.

Mold damages books in Maryland library

Thousands of books affected by mold

Staff and patrons may be exposed
to mold spores in affected libraries.
Image courtesy of Paul/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Library staff members have closed an entire floor of the McKeldin library, one of the main libraries of the University of Maryland, until further notice after discovering an outbreak of nontoxic mold in August.

Thousands of books were affected by the mold, a library spokesman said. Staff workers had noticed small amounts of mold for three years.

Library staff and a specialized contractor will clean all the shelves, and every book on the floor will be wiped down and vacuumed, a process that could take months.

Authorities listed various reasons for the mold damage, including

• high summer temperatures
• inefficient heating, ventilation and ventilation system
• high humidity

Libraries generally maintain about 50 percent relative humidity. At the McKeldin library at the time of the outbreak, that number had risen to 75 percent.

Facilities Management workers brought in dehumidifiers to reduce the humidity, adjusting the air conditioning controls and checking that all the monitors work correctly.

The mold exposure has been contained to that one floor, the spokesman said, and it is unlikely that staff will have to dispose of any affected books.

The bulk of the cleaning is scheduled to begin in October.

There are no immediate plans to change or update the heating and air conditioning system on a large scale.

Source: The Diamondback

Remove mold and contaminated air in libraries and archives

Libraries are housing thousands of books and they often suffer from poor indoor air quality due to outdated HVAC systems and humidity problems.

Updating or fixing HVAC systems can be expensive, but library staff and facility management can help improve indoor air quality by using portable air cleaners with the right types of air filters.

Electrocorp has designed a range of indoor air cleaning systems for libraries and archives that feature UV germicidal filtration for mold spores and biological contaminants, HEPA filters for particles and dust and activated carbon walls for chemicals and odors.

Contact an Electrocorp IAQ specialist for more information and a personalized recommendation.

Cleaner air in chemical laboratories

Laboratory workers and those in nearby buildings may
be affected by poor indoor air quality.

Indoor air quality in chemical laboratory facilities can be a major concern. Older laboratories in schools or universities may expose workers to a range of contaminants.

In extreme cases, the air exhausted from labs can also affect the air quality inside nearby buildings.

Many different variables interact to change the air quality in labs, including:

• Research protocols
• Work practices and individual behaviors
• Laboratory housekeeping
• Design and operation of the HVAC system

Experts agree that concern is warranted, since even low level chemical exposures can cause discomfort in laboratory workers.

In chemical labs, workers may be exposed to a wide range of chemicals, including chlorinated solvents, ketones, benzene and derivatives (toluene and xylene) as well as other contaminants.

Complex facilities with complex indoor air concerns

Laboratories are complex facilities that require substantial planning and development to provide good indoor air quality at all times.

Most labs have negative pressure relative to non-lab spaces such as corridors and offices, meaning that there is less air supplied into the room than is leaving through the hood exhaust.

Some laboratories, like clean rooms, require positive pressure, however.

Indoor air quality can become a concern if chemical exhausts are cluttered or used inappropriately, if chemicals are inadequately stored or disposed of and if workers are unaware of risks or are mishandling chemicals.

Experts recommend facility staff and user training, routine air sampling, a variable air volume system and other safety precautions.

Source: Steve M. Hays, “Indoor Air Quality in Chemistry Laboratories”, 1999 (PDF)

Cleaner air in chemical laboratories

The RSU air cleaners belong to
Electrocorp's most efficient units.

The right equipment in laboratories is important. Labs that handle many different chemicals often need some extra help in the air cleaning department.

Electrocorp has developed powerful air cleaners for laboratories that come in different sizes and filter combinations to provide the cleanest air possible.

The air cleaners can be configured for negative and positive pressure, if needed, and they can also be attached to fume hoods to draw the air through a deep-bed activated carbon filter and other filters to remove airborne fumes and gases, including chemicals such as benzene, xylene, toluene and more.

Contact Electrocorp for more information.

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Retirement homes: For a greener future

Seniors are at greater risk for
respiratory and auto-immune diseases

As people live longer, the need for retirement homes, nursing homes and adult congregate living facilities increases.

To date, approximately 10 million seniors in the United States are or will live in one of these types of homes.

For the average healthy person, exposure to harmful chemicals found in cleaning products, furniture and paints may not have immediate or long-term effects. Seniors, however, are particularly at risk.

As we age, our immune systems become less effective, making us more vulnerable to disease and infection. As a result, autoimmune diseases and cancers are more prevalent, as are cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

What the experts suggest

Indoor environmental experts have come up with three important elements necessary for ensuring good indoor air quality:         

• Source control
• Ventilation
• Air cleaning

Source Control

Source control is the process of eliminating the causes of air pollution at the source, such as in building materials. The EPA agrees that source control is the only way to eliminate indoor air pollution, but it is impossible to completely rid the air of contaminants. As a result, it is suggested that buildings are outfitted with furniture, paint and cleaning products that are low in volatile organic compounds. It is also important to regularly test for high humidity. This is a sure-fire way of detecting early signs of mold. By starting as simply as that, the quantity of pollutants will be reduced.

Ventilation

A good HVAC ventilation system will allow for a constant flow of air to pass. It can also aid in minimizing the threat of mold. But an HVAC system alone is not enough. It can bring in pollutants, such as pollen and dust from the outside as well as circulate pollutants that are already indoors. Ensuring a regular cleaning of the filters in the HVAC system will aid greatly in reducing built-up contaminants indoors.

Air Cleaning

A good ventilation system is incomplete without an air cleaning solution. Because HVACs are limited in their capacity to rid the air of allergens and pollutants, air cleaners will pick up the slack. These cleaning units will adsorb airborne chemicals with activated carbon filters. HEPA filters will trap particles and the need for constant cleaning will be significantly reduced.

Source: GREENGUARD

Electrocorp’s air cleaners

Electrocorp's air filtration systems can outfit retirement homes with air cleaners that will help reduce the risk of illness through airborne chemicals. With options for HEPA filters, activated carbon filters, and even UV germidical lamps, Electrocorp can provide cleaner air solutions for seniors.

Do you or someone you know live in a retirement home, nursing home or adult congregate living facility? Tell us your indoor air quality stories.

Show your support for greener and healthier working and living environments by becoming a follower of this blog!

To learn more about Electrocorp’s products, contact us through our website.

Schools in need of smart upgrades

Energy-saving measures and indoor air quality improvements at the forefront of priorities

A healthy indoor environment is important in schools.

Thousands of California school buildings are in urgent need of repair – and how the work is done will affect the health and productivity of future generations of students and teachers.

Following objectives set out by the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) can make a huge difference in learning environments.

The criteria generally consist of site and materials selection, energy and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality (reducing indoor air pollution) and sustainability.

Schools can save money and energy when making improvements to their lighting and HVAC systems, standardized air filtration systems and other materials.

Experts also suggest monitoring the air quality and using an economizer on the HVAC unit.

Introducing natural light into learning environments has also been shown to improve student performance because they are more relaxed and focused on the materials being taught.

Commissioning certain elements of school renovations or upgrades may help improve installation and performance of these systems.

Source: Smart Business

Improve indoor air quality in schools

Students and teachers need to breathe clean air in order to be the most productive and successful, but many school environments are filled with stale or stagnant air, odors, chemicals, bacteria, viruses, mold, dust, allergens and other particles.

A good ventilation system may help to dilute some of these pollutants, but portable air cleaning systems can actually help to remove them as well.

Electrocorp has designed air cleaners for schools and universities that can tackle the indoor air contaminants mentioned above.

The air cleaners feature a deep-bed activated carbon filter and HEPA filtration as well as optional UV lamps for the most complete air cleaning.

Contact Electrocorp for more information.