General Information on IAQ
Learn more about indoor air quality guidelines within a home below. Then learn more about setting up a crawl space solution focused on optimizing air quality – specific setup with ATMOX Controller and Ultra Series Dehumidifier.
IAQ matters
Most pollutants come from within the home
“Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where concentrations of pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations.” – EPA
Most pollutants affecting indoor air quality come from sources inside buildings. Contributors include dust, pet dander, smoke, pesticides, VOCs, and mold.
Moisture must be addressed
Filtration improves air quality
Avoiding mold is critical for overall IAQ. Moisture inside the home is generally removed with spot ventilation such as bathroom vent fans or kitchen hoods. Air conditioning systems serve as a dehumidification system for the entire house to further reduce humidity. When these are not sufficient, a dehumidifier may be added to the home.
“Air cleaners and HVAC filters are designed to filter pollutants or contaminants out of the air that passes thru them. Air cleaning and filtration can help reduce airborne contaminants, including particles containing viruses.” – EPA
Quality filters recommended for HVAC
Ventilation needed to exchange air
For HVAC Systems, ASHRAE recommends using a filter with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) of 13. – ASHRAE
“Another approach to lowering the concentrations of indoor air pollutants in your home is to increase the amount of outdoor air coming indoors.” – EPA
“Advanced designs of new homes are starting to feature mechanical systems that bring outdoor air into the home. Some of these designs include energy-efficient heat recovery ventilators.” – EPA
The ASHRAE 62.1 (“Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Residential Buildings”) recommends homes receive no less than 0.35 air changes per hour of outdoor air to ensure adequate indoor air.
– ASHRAE