8 Tips For Improving Indoor Air Quality

Even under normal conditions, people spend almost 90 percent of their day indoors – either at home or in the office. Because of energy costs, security issues, drafts, noises, and dirty air from outside, people typically do not open their windows. As a result, EPA studies have shown that human exposure to indoor air pollutants may be 2 to 5 times, and sometimes more than 100 times, higher than outdoor levels.

The key to improving indoor air quality is to design HVAC and other systems to work together to effectively ventilate apartment communities & offices and minimize sources of indoor pollution. 

1) Vent bathrooms, kitchens, toilets, and laundry rooms directly outdoors. Use energy efficient and quiet fans.

2) Avoid locating furnaces, air conditioners and ductwork in garages or other spaces where they can inadvertently draw contaminants into the house.

3) Properly vent fireplaces and use tight doors and outdoor air intakes when possible.

4) Store toxic or volatile compounds such as paints, solvents, cleaners and pesticides out of the occupied spaces.

5) Provide operable windows to accommodate usual sources or high-polluting events, such as the use of home cleaning products, hobby activities, etc.

6) Use sealed-combustion, power-vented or condensing water heaters and furnaces. When natural-draft applications must be used, they should be tested for proper venting and should be located outside the occupied spaces when possible.

7) Put a good particle filter or air cleaner in your air handling systems to keep dirt out of the air and off your ductwork and heating and cooling components.

8) Distribute a minimum level of outdoor air throughout the residence using whole-building mechanical ventilation.

Facilities that follow these steps will generally see increased indoor air quality and decreased health problems compared to those that do not. 

For more information on venting improvements for your community or commercial facility or interest in current technologies on the market to help with improvements to indoor air quality, please call 1.800.303.3246.