Filtration Group helps improve IAQ for schools in the US

2019-11-06

School IAQ

INITIAL SITUATION 

Schools are some of the most highly used buildings in our society. The average adult inhales the equivalent of 15,000 or more quarts of air each day and children breathe more air relative to their body weight than adults. Therefore, students are more susceptible to getting sick from breathing poor quality air. Most school systems are under constant financial burden to deliver high quality education at a low cost. Healthy Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), is essential for a productive environment.

CHALLENGE 

Clean air conditions in schools have been linked to higher cognitive function in students,yet due to cost-cutting measures, many schools do not maintain their HVAC equipment properly. Poor IAQ can cause transmission of airborne illness and can increase absenteeism.

The higher the air filter efficiency, the better the air quality. According to the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA), air filters should have a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV), between 8 and 13.To sustain the degree of filtration required, while keeping energy costs low,an active maintenance program is essential. Elmhurst, Illinois, Public School District 205 recognized the need for improving their program in its buildings. The majority of their 1” and 2” filters were low efficiency fiberglass filters– outdated media technology, and not ideal for a healthy learning environment.

SOLUTION STATEMENT

With the help of our filtration experts, the school district has converted all of their fiberglass filters to our MERV 8, Aerostar® NOVAPLEAT®. By implementing our self-supported pleat filter technology in their air handlers and classrooms, the district’s students have benefited from increased respiratory protection, and indoor air purification.

Secondarily– introducing the NOVAPLEAT filters to Elmhurst schools has reduced their operational costs. Filtration Group filters are designed to perform better for a total lifespan compared to their disposable product peers.

The schools have experienced lower change-out rates, and are now preventing particulate pass-through to their ventilation equipment. By taking active improvement steps with higher efficiency filters, their labor investment for system maintenance, and repairing mechanical burnouts have diminished. For District 205, a simple upgrade to their filter technology has mitigated the need for annual coil cleanings. The service cost savings on cleanings alone made modernizing their HVAC filter components an easy decision.