2019-11-06
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, yet due to cost-cutting measures, many schools do not maintain their HVAC equipment properly. Poor IAQ can cause sneezing, coughing and increases the possibility of transmitting airborne illnesses. When IAQ is compromised, students and faculty miss school. Most public school funding is based on student attendance and excessive absenteeism caused by poor IAQ may ultimately result in a school district losing the funding they so desperately need.
CHALLENGE
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. Problems arising from poor filter maintenance can cause HVAC breakdowns and a decrease in overall IAQ. To maintain the degree of filtration required, an active maintenance program is essential.
In Western Canada, a large public school board recognized the need for improving the IAQ in more than 200 of its schools. The majority of their 1” and 2” filters were low efficiency and disposable – not ideal for a healthy learning environment.
SOLUTION STATEMENT
Filtration Group IAQ, North America’s leading HVAC filtration manufacturer, successfully bid for the school system air filter project. FG IAQ offers a complete HVAC filtration product line which includes every size of application from disposable to cleanroom filtration. Due to its regional manufacturing centers, FG IAQ provides support through its local distribution of networks.
FG IAQ assessed the need for improved filtration and has converted 85% of the schools to MERV-rated 8, pleated-style filters to improve the IAQ for nearly 98,000 students and faculty.