Choosing the right air filter and filter media

By Bob Jackson, CAFS Norspec Filtration Ltd.

Poor indoor-air quality (IAQ) is more these schools have been diagnosed with than just a nuisance; it is costly. Poor IAQ indoor-air quality problems. significantly influences the occurrence Fortunately, many of these triggers can of communicable respiratory illnesses be eliminated or significantly reduced and allergies, asthma, and sick-building by the proper selection of air filters in a symptoms. Some of the airborne trig- building’s HVAC system. Advances in air gers for these illnesses include micro- filtration have led to the development organisms, respirable particles such as of systems that provide superior IAQ dust and smoke, and volatile organic while reducing energy costs and helping compounds and allergens. commercial and institutional buildings

In Canada, 5.7 million school chil- achieve green-building milestones. dren and close to one million teachers, 4050 Grant Street

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administrators, other school staff and aIr FIltratIon and Iaq visitors walk into 15,000 school buildings In the past, the minimum recommendevery day – and at least 50 per cent of ed filter for most school board environDGMAd_D.G. MacLachlan Ltd_ad.qxd 12-03-30 9:44 AM Page 1

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ments was a MERV 8. The MERV 8-rated filter ensured an efficiency of 70 per cent to 85 per cent on all airborne particles in the three- to 10-micron size range. More recently, many school board facility managers have raised the minimum efficiency to a MERV 11. The MERV 11 filter ensures an efficiency of greater than 85 per cent on all airborne particles three to 10 microns in size and 65 to 80 per cent efficiency on all airborne particles one to three microns in size. This is still lower than required by CaGBC (Canadian Green Building Council) under their

LEED program or by BOMA (Building

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In canada, 5.7 million school children and close to one million teachers, administrators, other school staff and visitors walk into 15,000 school buildings every day – and at least 50 per cent of these schools have been diagnosed with indoor-air quality problems.

Owners and Managers Association) under their BOMA Best program. Each of these programs require a final filtration of at least MERV 13 for all occupants.

The low-efficiency disposable filter is no longer recommended in any case except when a higher-efficiency secondary filter is installed downstream, ensuring proper air filtration is achieved.

Recent developments in filter-media technology have now produced economical pleated filters with ratings of MERV 13, MERV 14 and higher while reducing energy use.

cleaner aIr Is Greener aIr

In addition to offering filters with superior IAQ, reducing energy consumption through HVAC filter selection has a direct effect on a number of green-building issues, including: • Greenhouse-gas emissions reduction:

A 0.05-inch water gauge (wg) reduction in a filter’s initial airflow resistance can reduce carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to four per cent, or 120 pounds per filter. A 0.20-inc water gauge reduction in a filter’s initial airflow resistance can reduce CO2 emissions by up to nine per cent, or 480 pounds per filter. • Raw-material use: Some filter media can be made with recycled polymer from manufacturing waste streams and

provide better performance using less media, compared to other filters. • Waste output: High-capacity pleated

filters can extend filter life and reduce change-outs. Extended filter life can reduce waste streams while minimizing resistance to airflow.

Careful selection of HVAC filters and filter media is required at all school boards. Not only can this improve IAQ, it will also help reduce waste and save money. School boards ought to be striving to improve indoor air quality whenever possible, and this means setting a minimum standard of MERV 13 or better. b