What is ASHRAE Standard 241? ASHRAE Standard 241, Control of Infectious Aerosols, is the first code-enforceable indoor air quality (IAQ) standard designed to reduce the indoor transmission of infectious aerosols. Drawing on research and expertise gathered from the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force, the new standard provides requirements for many air system design, installation, operation, and maintenance aspects. In simplest terms, Standard 241 provides the minimum equivalent clean air requirements to reduce airborne diseases in commercial settings — such as offices, schools, and hospitals — and i ..read more

CDC: Fewer Than Half of US Schools Have Improved Ventilation Despite billions of federal dollars available, most K-12 school administrators have not improved school building ventilation, according to a recent CDC report, “Ventilation Improvements Among K–12 Public School Districts.”1 The December 2022 review found fewer than nearly half of the 8,410 school districts surveyed had implemented ventilation upgrades recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to mitigate COVID-19 transmission.2,3,4 Researchers examined four spe ..read more

Don’t Replace; Renew with Greater HVAC Efficiency and Improved IAQ We are in the midst of an HVAC revolution as the number of mechanical engineers specifying UV-C in all building types is mushrooming at historic levels. The ultraviolet-C (UV-C) wavelength (254nm) was promoted in the mid-1990s primarily to improve indoor air quality by preventing microbial buildup on HVAC cooling coils, air filters, duct surfaces and drain pans. UV-C removes and prevents microbial buildup and growth, which serves as an obstacle to the heat-transfer efficiency of HVAC systems. ASHRAE has known about these ben ..read more

New ASHRAE Guidance Recommends UV-C to Improve School IAQ When it comes to better school air quality, ASHRAE wrote the book In a 2023 document titled “Design Guidance for Education Facilities: Prioritization for Advanced Indoor Air Quality,” ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.7 (TC9.7) members recommend UV-C as an effective strategy to improve school indoor air quality (IAQ). ASHRAE’s comprehensive, detailed set of recommendations provides instruction from industry experts to owners, operators, designers and professional service providers on how to best implement IAQ improvements, including ..read more

Helping Schools Make the Grade in Indoor Air Quality. Learn more about the Federal Campaign for Efficient and Healthy Schools How can you get your school on the honor roll when it comes to clean, fresh healthy air? Join the Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign. Launched in 2021, the campaign provides technical assistance and recognition to school districts in implementing high-impact indoor air quality and efficiency improvements that will reduce energy bills and improve student and teacher health and performance. The interagency effort between the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S ..read more

What is ASHRAE Standard 241? ASHRAE Standard 241, Control of Infectious Aerosols, is the first code-enforceable indoor air quality (IAQ) standard designed to reduce the indoor transmission of infectious aerosols. Drawing on research and expertise gathered from the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force, the new standard provides requirements for many air system design, installation, operation, and maintenance aspects. In simplest terms, Standard 241 provides the minimum equivalent clean air requirements to reduce airborne diseases in commercial settings — such as offices, schools, and hospitals — and in ..read more

CDC: Fewer Than Half of US Schools Have Improved Ventilation Despite billions of federal dollars available, most K-12 school administrators have not improved school building ventilation, according to a recent CDC report, “Ventilation Improvements Among K–12 Public School Districts.”1 The December 2022 review found fewer than nearly half of the 8,410 school districts surveyed had implemented ventilation upgrades recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to mitigate COVID-19 transmission.2,3,4 Researchers examined four spec ..read more

Don’t Replace; Renew with Greater HVAC Efficiency and Improved IAQ We are in the midst of an HVAC revolution as the number of mechanical engineers specifying UV-C in all building types is mushrooming at historic levels. The ultraviolet-C (UV-C) wavelength (254nm) was promoted in the mid-1990s primarily to improve indoor air quality by preventing microbial buildup on HVAC cooling coils, air filters, duct surfaces and drain pans. UV-C removes and prevents microbial buildup and growth, which serves as an obstacle to the heat-transfer efficiency of HVAC systems. ASHRAE has known about these bene ..read more

New ASHRAE Guidance Recommends UV-C to Improve School IAQ When it comes to better school air quality, ASHRAE wrote the book In a 2023 document titled “Design Guidance for Education Facilities: Prioritization for Advanced Indoor Air Quality,” ASHRAE Technical Committee 9.7 (TC9.7) members recommend UV-C as an effective strategy to improve school indoor air quality (IAQ). ASHRAE’s comprehensive, detailed set of recommendations provides instruction from industry experts to owners, operators, designers and professional service providers on how to best implement IAQ improvements, including r ..read more

Helping Schools Make the Grade in Indoor Air Quality. Learn more about the Federal Campaign for Efficient and Healthy Schools How can you get your school on the honor roll when it comes to clean, fresh healthy air? Join the Efficient and Healthy Schools Campaign. Launched in 2021, the campaign provides technical assistance and recognition to school districts in implementing high-impact indoor air quality and efficiency improvements that will reduce energy bills and improve student and teacher health and performance. The interagency effort between the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S ..read more