At Home In Berks Fall 2021 - 32

FEATURES
Ways to Improve
Indoor Air Quality
T
he American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) developed
the Airborne Infectious Diseases Position Document
that describes the use of HVAC systems to prevent the spread
of viral disease.1
The document was last updated in February
2020. This white paper is meant as a summary of ASHRAE's
document and other affiliated industry standards. For more
detailed information, readers should reference the technical
resource documents at https://www.ashrae.org/technicalresources/resources.
The
common cold (rhinoviruses) and influenza (e.g.
H1N1) can be transmitted by airborne aerosol, droplets, or
direct contact. HVAC systems can have a positive effect on
limiting airborne and droplet transmissions. Coronavirus
(e.g. COVID-19) similarly is transmitted via droplets and
direct contact and therefore best practice is to ensure HVAC
systems are installed, maintained and serviced to mitigate the
transmission of infectious disease.
Indoor Air Quality
YORK® offers a variety of products that are specifically
designed to improve the quality of air in the home and have
been tested and approved for use with our residential systems.
Information Websites
* ASHRAE: https://www.ashrae.org/file%20library/about/
position%20documents/airborne-infectious-diseases.pdf
* Center for Disease Control (CDC): https://www.cdc.gov/
coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
Filtration
Recirculating air through a whole home filtration system
can help to reduce airborne particles by capturing them in the
filter. When viruses and bacteria become airborne, the HVAC
system has the potential to transmit them to other spaces
around the home. Therefore, effective home filtration designs
incorporate filters to remove and trap the particles in the filter
media where they naturally deactivate overtime. Keeping the
HVAC system on the constant fan setting will maximize the
amount of a home's air that is filtered.
Most residential filters for mechanical systems are rated on
a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) scale (1-16).
The ASHRAE 52.2 standard testing method determines the
filter efficiency and MERV rating.
Efficiency on particles (0.02 to 0.3 μm) can be estimated up
to 90% on a MERV 16 filter. Lower MERV levels would have
lower efficiency.
Essential Elements of Healthy Indoor Air
Air Purity
*
Filtration: Recirculating air through a whole home filtration system can help reduce airborne particles by capturing
them in the filter.
* Ultraviolet Emitters: UVC energy is an effective inactivation method for surface and airborne biological
contaminants.
*
Humidity Control
* Maintaining proper humidity level can reduce number of airborne particles.
Ventilation
*
16
Supplying clean air from outdoors will displace/dilute contaminated air.
AT HOME IN BERKs FALL 2021

https://www.ashrae.org/file%20library/about/ https://www.cdc.gov/ https://www.ashrae.org/technical

At Home In Berks Fall 2021

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