A Call for Building Owners and Operators to Improve Indoor Air Quality and Protect Public Health
The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge is a directive from the US government for building owners and operators to improve and protect public health through actions designed to advance indoor air quality (IAQ) with better ventilation and filtration.
Improve IAQ with ThinkLite
The Four-Steps the EPA Recommends to Achieve Clean Air in Buildings
| Key actions outlined in the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge | ThinkLite Solution | Steps you can take to rise to the challenge, and how ThinkLite can help |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Create a clean indoor air action plan | Flair IAQ Monitor | The ThinkLite Flair Smart IAQ Monitor will assess your current indoor air quality baseline. Identify trends and opportunities for improvement with precise data reporting. Get intel on IAQ metrics down to the 0.1 microns level, including biological pathogens and viruses, TVOCs, CO2, and more. Inform a strategic plan for actions items and options for updates to improve your indoor air quality. |
| 2. Optimize fresh air ventilation | Flair IAQ Monitor | The ThinkLite Flair integrates with your BMS to automate HVAC settings based on real-time data, creating optimal safety conditions with a smart, energy-efficient means of control. |
| 3. Enhance air filtration and cleaning | Purilux In-Ceiling LED Air Purifier ICON Freestanding, Portable Air Healer | Both the ThinkLite Purilux and ICON provide the highest level of air safety by eliminating the smallest particles (0.1-2.5 microns), which includes COVID, the flu and other viruses. Purilux and ICON both use safely encapsulated ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) to clean the air. |
| 4. Conduct community engagement, communication and education | Flair IAQ Monitor | The Flair Air Monitor continuously detects, analyzes, and reports key air quality metrics, tracking and sharing the data to: a sophisticated dashboard system with 24-hour optics for building operators. customizable kiosk views which can appear on publicly accessible screens onsite, or online. |
Frequently Asked Questions
The challenge was created to ensure America is better prepared to prevent airborne transmission of diseases including COVID-19 and beyond. It addresses a critical need to modernize existing air quality systems and metrics within indoor spaces in America. It was initiated as part of the COVID preparedness plan but is part of a larger plan to advance our national infrastructure and public health. The intention is to improve public health and building infrastructure with advanced indoor air quality monitoring and purification updates.
The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge impacts all building owners and operators, from public schools to private universities, hospitals and other medical facilities, commercial spaces like offices and retail and service businesses, apartment buildings, restaurants, arts venues, hotels, fitness centers, airports, and beyond. Any indoor space that accommodates people should be commissioned for higher, health-based standards for the air in the building.
The White House is supporting the effort with $472 billion in funding opportunities for states and school districts to distribute, with specific emphasis on K-12 public and charter schools, public and private non-profit higher education institutions, municipal buildings, small businesses, non-profits, and impacted industries.
Funding is easily accessible through the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It has already been allocated to each district and municipality. It includes $350 billion in grants for state and local governments to allocate, plus an additional $122 billion for schools to use to support investments in ventilation and IAQ improvements. Unlike the funding process for previous programs like the CARES Act, these funds have already been appropriated at the state and local level, so money is conveniently accessible, with each district and municipality responsible for distributing their own grant money.
Organizations should implement an action plan and budget for approved updates as soon as possible to secure grants and take advantage of available funding before it is depleted. Your municipality is responsible for distributing their allocated funding to end-users, as well as pass-through entities.
Contact us for more information on how much funding your district or organization has available.
Some of the $472 billion in government funding available through the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is being allocated directly to schools, Tribal governments, and municipalities, but another portion of the money is available for small businesses, non-profits, and impacted industries who were the hardest hit by the pandemic. These entities can lobby their local and state governments to receive funding through the American Rescue Plan. Grant funds have been allocated to be used for a broad variety of uses, aimed at helping businesses to recover and be better prepared for the uncertainties of the future, with specific actions designed to advance indoor air quality and prevent subsequent complications related to health challenges, testing, unnecessary isolation, closures, and staff shortages. Grant applications are reviewed and awarded on a local level and must be submitted for approval before the allocation runs out.
The EPA has identified four steps to help building owners rise to the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge.
1. Create a clean indoor air action plan – assess and document how your current HVAC system works. Implement IAQ monitoring systems such as the Flair Air Safety Monitor to help you get a clear understanding of the air quality trends. Work with your building management team and HVAC specialists to identify what needs improvement and which common spaces may require additional bolstering.
2. Optimize fresh air ventilation – increase the amount of clean, outdoor air that is being circulated in the building. This can be achieved through cross ventilation with open windows and a strategic, responsive schedule for HVAC settings in order to maximize ventilation in key areas and during peak times.
3. Enhance air filtration and cleaning – upgrade your IAQ through updates to the central HVAC system and the addition of supplemental air cleaning devices. Install the highest MERV-rated filters possible for your system, with the goal of achieving MERV-19 filtered air for the highest level of protection against the smallest particles, which include COVID and other viruses. Consider adding an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation system (UVGI) to clean the air, technology found in the most sophisticated air purification devices like the Purilux light fixture that doubles as an FDA approved air purifier.
4. Conduct community engagement, communication, and education. Share your IAQ metrics and a high-level summary of updates made to the building with all affected people so that they are aware of their air safety. This can include signage and other communication strategies as well as a formal plan to continue to evaluate and improve systems related to IAQ.
For the full directive from the EPA. Click here to learn more
The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge and the funds associated with it are specifically focused on enhancing indoor air quality. This encompasses projects related to enhanced monitoring and purification strategies, optimizing fresh air ventilation, and also measuring the detectable effects that upgrades have on indoor air quality metrics, and communicating air quality efforts and data with the people who spend time in the building. It includes upgrading windows as appropriate and making HVAC updates to modernize existing systems in order to optimize the amount of fresh air being circulated in the building and increase air exchanges per hour. It also covers the addition of supplemental air filtration and purification devices, including the use of technology that utilizes ultraviolet germicidal irradiation systems (UVGI) to clean the air.
Finally, adding technology to monitor the air quality to be able to react accordingly and to communicate key data to decision makers and building inhabitants is a key initiative included in the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge. Air monitoring allows buildings to assess the effectiveness of their systems and measure the ROI on updates, make informed decisions and adjust other settings in the building according to real-time data about air quality threats, and share important facts about the air quality with those affected by it.
Funding must be spent on credible technology and substantiated updates related to enhancing indoor air quality. If funding is mis-appropriated on projects and technology that do not move the needle on enhancing air safety, it will not be approved, and any grant money spent on such unauthorized projects will be reclassified as a loan and required to be paid back.
All building owners and operators making decisions around which updates and actions to pursue are encouraged to do their research to avoid wasting valuable investment money on unproven and controversial science such as those that add other chemicals to the air, posing unwanted additional health risks to humans in the building, or selecting upgrades with filters that are not strong enough to actually eliminate viruses like COVID. According to the EPA, in their guide to air cleaners and HVAC filters for helping to combat airborne viruses:
“In order for an air cleaner to be effective in removing viruses from the air, it must be able to remove small airborne particles (in the size range of 0.1-1 um).”
Only air purifiers and filters capable of achieving MERV 19 grade air can capture particles as small as 0.1 micron, the size range of most common viruses, including COVID-19 and the flu. Most consumer grade filters are only able to filter to MERV 13 standards, removing larger particles like pet dander, soot and pollen, while leaving the smaller, more dangerous particles in the air.
For more info on eligible and ineligible projects please contact us.
This challenge presents a historic opportunity to improve public health, tune up your building, and increase energy efficiency, while taking advantage of available funds and resources to make valuable updates. It was created to address a need to modernize existing air quality systems and metrics within indoor spaces in America. It was initiated as part of the COVID preparedness plan but is part of a larger plan to advance our national infrastructure and public health.
The program was announced on March 3, 2022 and municipal funding must be obligated by December 31, 2024, and school funding must be obligated by September 24, 2024. After obligating projects, funding must be expended by no later than December 31, 2026. However, due to challenges associated with inflation and supply chain issues, the US Department of Education will consider extensions for schools. Per the May 13th letter from the US Department of Education:
“The Department has the authority to approve liquidation extension requests based upon the specific facts and circumstances of a given obligation and upon written request of an SEA grantee, in accordance with 2 CFR § 200.344(b). If approved, grantees may have up to 18 months beyond the end of the obligation period, although requests for longer may be considered related to extraordinary circumstances.”
An air monitor provides a clear understanding of the indoor air, which can be used to inform actions to improve the safety of the air and the people breathing it, while an air purifier is able to perform the air filtering necessary to achieve safer, healthier indoor air. Ideally buildings will have both an air monitoring and air purifying system in place that can work in sync to manage the air quality through informed data.
An air monitor measures the air for key health and safety factors and provides actionable data, and potentially life-saving insights into the air quality. It can also compare the indoor air quality to the outdoor air quality, and identify trends in air metrics. A smart air monitor such as the ThinkLite Flair also has the ability to send alerts based on real time information, and automate other BMS systems including the HVAC system in order to efficiently control settings and keep air safe.
An air purifier, also known as an air healer or air filtration system, actively cleans the air to remove hazardous particulates and then releases the filtered air back into the space. Air purifiers can be portable, standalone units, or installed directly into the building’s infrastructure.
Ion generators act by charging the particles in the air so that they are attracted to surfaces like walls, floors, furniture, fabrics, people, etc. rather than airborne. However, abrasion can easily result in these particles being re-suspended into the air. While ion generators can remove some particles (e.g., those in tobacco smoke) from the indoor air, they do not remove gases or odors, and are less effective at removing large particles such as pollen and dust.
In addition to their air purifying limitations, ion generators create ozone, a dangerous chemical and known lung irritant. While indirect ozone production is of concern, there is even greater concern with the direct, and purposeful addition of a lung irritant into indoor air. There is no difference, despite some marketers’ claims, between ozone in smog outdoors and ozone produced by these devices. Under certain use conditions, ion generators and other ozone generating air cleaners can produce levels of this lung irritant significantly above levels thought harmful to human health. Although ozone can be used in reducing odors and pollutants in unoccupied spaces (such as removing smoke odors from homes involved in fires) the levels needed to achieve this are above those generally thought to be safe for humans.
Reference EPA article: What are ionizers and other ozone generating air cleaners?
The best options for creating your safe indoor air action plan and implementing updates to your building will depend on a number of factors including but not limited to: the size and number of people serviced by your building, the current state of the air quality systems in place at your building, the climate and outdoor air quality in your geographical location.
1. Monitor your air to assess areas for improvement and create awareness of issues. You cannot manage what you do not measure, so gaining a full understanding of the current air quality, and the ability to measure changes throughout the day and during different types of scenarios in your building, is essential. A smart air monitor like the ThinkLite Flair can create alerts, share data with key stakeholders and building occupants, and can also integrate with your BMS system to automate HVAC adjustments to keep air safe in real time.
2. Open Windows / replace windows that do not open. When weather conditions are not extreme and outdoor air is safe, opening windows to increase fresh air ventilation is a low cost way to improve IAQ and increase air exchanges. Strategically placed fans can enhance the effectiveness of this method.
3. Update Your HVAC System. HVAC updates are one of the most common ways to enhance the air exchanges per hour and achieve greater purity levels for indoor air. When considering which HVAC updates to make, keep in mind that only MERV 19 and above filters are capable of effectively removing particles the size of COVID and most other dangerous viruses.
4. Invest in Supplemental Portable Air Purification Systems. Adding plug in, standalone, portable air filters to your building is an efficient way to supplement the HVAC system’s capabilities and achieve cleaner, safer air without having to do a major overhaul of the buildings infrastructure. They can be moved from one space to another to provide clean air in different areas of your building as needed. However, it is important to keep in mind that in order for a portable air filter or purifier to be effective at removing the most dangerous threats from the air, including COVID, the flu, and other viruses, it must be able to eliminate particles as small as 0.1 micron, the equivalent of MERV 19 grade filtering.
According the EPA: “In order for an air cleaner to be effective in removing viruses from the air, it must be able to remove small airborne particles (in the size range of 0.1-1 um)… In order to select an air cleaner that effectively filters viruses from the air, choose: 1) a unit that is the right size for the space you will be using it in (this is typically indicated by the manufacturer in square feet), 2) a unit that has a high CADR for smoke (vs. pollen or dust), is designated a HEPA unit, or specifically indicates that it filters particles in the 0.1-1 um size range.”
5. Install Air filtration and Purification Systems. Installing an air filtration device rather than opting for a portable unit saves floor space and creates additional opportunities to integrate your air cleaning solution with your existing building management system. Because the installation creates a more permanent solution than a portable device, decision makers need to ensure that their air purifier fits the EPA’s recommendation that it specifically indicates that it filters particles in the 0.1-1 um size range, or has the equivalent of a MERV 19 grade filtration. The ThinkLite Purilux uses a uses a combination of safely encapsulated UVGI LEDs and an FDA approved filtration process to actively clean the air of particles as small as 0.1 microns, the size of COVID, the flu, and other more dangerous viruses, while people are in the room.
While each building is unique, the best IAQ strategy will include a layered strategy with a combination of complementary methods. What is best for improving the IAQ in your building depends on a variety of factors, including the capacity of the current HVAC system, the size of your space, and the number of people who spend time inside the building. It is also highly dependent on the weather and conditions in the location of your building because average outdoor air quality, humidity, and temperature all affect both the energy efficiency of the HVAC system and the ability to rely more heavily on increased outdoor air ventilation. For example, cold or hot climates, and those affected by wildfire smoke or smog, are less likely to be able to simply open windows in order to improve the indoor air quality, and will face an increase in costs associated with their utilities if the HVAC system alone is relied on.
The addition of air monitoring technology will provide transparency into the state of your air so that meaningful and measurable updates can be made. Smart air monitors, such as the ThinkLite Flair, can also be easily integrated with the BMS to automate HVAC settings in real time depending on the air quality, providing a dynamic, energy efficient, and proactive solution.
A certified HVAC specialist can help recommend updates and work with the building management to provide a customized plan for updates that include a comprehensive approach of HVAC upgrades, supplemental air purification and filtration devices, and air monitoring to continuously evaluate the air quality and adjust accordingly.
Increasing IAQ metrics to higher, safer standards can be accomplished without sacrificing energy efficiency. Whenever building owners and operators make updates it is important to consider the impact those changes will make on their energy costs and consumption. Especially when considering long term ROI, strategic air safety improvements can actually make buildings more efficient. Ideally, air safety innovations will simultaneously help to protect the inhabitants of the building without raising costs or wasting energy resources. HVAC upgrades and the monthly costs associated with running HVAC systems have high price tags. While simply running the HVAC system at an increased level or upgrading to higher rated MERV filters would increase ACH, it would also cause energy costs to spike. Also, unless the system is capable of supporting MERV 19 grade filters and / or has an encapsulated UVC purification system, this method alone will not eliminate pathogens and viruses in the air. Supplemental air filtration systems like the Purilux and ICON provide smart solutions with highly effective results and the capacity to filter air to MERV 19 standards. They also have built in UVC light chambers to treat air to 99.9999% purity. Facilities managers can also consider a smart air monitor like the ThinkLite Flair, which is capable of efficiently automating HVAC settings based on real time air quality data.
The EPA has recommended that buildings consider adding an upper room Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) system to clean the air. A UVGI System uses a specific spectrum of light (UVC) to deactivate the DNA of bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, destroying their ability to multiply and infect people. This type of UV light is a highly effective method of eliminating the threat of viruses, but the light is also dangerous to humans and must be safely encapsulated or used in spaces where humans will not be exposed to the rays. Air disinfection with UVC light does not rely on chemicals to kill viruses, making it a safe alternative when compared to other approaches.
ThinkLite’s Purilux uses safely encapsulated UVC light technology to eliminate bacterial and viral threats. The Purilux is an upper room light fixture equipped with an internal UVC chamber with a 99.99% pathogen kill rate, including COVID-19. This highly efficient 2×2 LED fixture is also equipped with an elaborate FDA approved filtration process for the highest standard of clean, safe air.
MERV 19. The MERV rating chart (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) goes from 1 – 20. Filters are rated based on their capacity to capture different particle sizes, with MERV 1 being the least effective and MERV 20 being the most effective rating. Only filters MERV 19 and above are capable of effectively eliminating COVID 19 particles from the air. COVID and other dangerous viruses are amongst the smallest airborne particles, with COVID 19 particles measuring 0.1 microns. Lower rated MERV filters are capable of removing larger particles like smoke, pollen, and dust but are ineffective at cleaning viruses like COVID from the air.
Understand how clean you air truly is.
Air change rate, also referred to as air changes per hour (ACH or ACPH), is a measure of how many times the total air volume in a defined space is replaced each hour. The American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has different recommendations for the safest number of air changes per hour, based on the type of environment. An operating room, for example, has much higher standards for ACH than a residential or office building. Higher air changes per hour reduces the risk of infection with COVID and other airborne viruses. In general, an ACH of 3-5 times per hour is a desirable standard for most schools and other public buildings.
The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge directive is related to a need to improve the benchmark on air safety in buildings in general, with implications that go far beyond the challenges of COVID. Updating the infrastructure of America’s buildings will ensure that we are better prepared to stay open and continue functioning at top capacity now, and in the future, including through new viruses, variants, or other unforeseen circumstances. There are many health and safety benefits of having clean air in buildings including enhanced focus, better productivity, higher test scores, and reduced effects of asthma and allergies. The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge and the funding associated with it present a unique opportunity for America’s schools, municipal organizations, and other public spaces to update their buildings and set new standards to keep our nation ahead of the curve.
The challenge started on 3/17/2022.
The EPA announced this challenge as part of the White House’s National Covid-19 preparedness plan. It encourages all building owners and operators, schools, colleges and universities, and organizations to adopt these crucial strategies to improve IAQ in their buildings and reduce the spread of respiratory diseases like Covid-19, RSV, and influenza among others.
The ideas and solutions proposed in this challenge are not new ideas or solutions, they have existed for decades. The new aspect is the emphasis that federal agencies and industry experts are placing on IAQ control strategies and intervention. The challenge increases awareness and provides resources for building managers and facility operators to easily accomplish better indoor air quality. According to the CDC in May 2021, Covid-19 is transmitted through the air through inhalation of air carrying very fine droplets and aerosol particles that contain infectious virus. The EPA recommends bringing more clean air into a room to reduce airborne disease transmission, at a suggested rate of at least 5 air changes per hour, to reduce risk by 50% or more. The EPA points out that improving indoor air quality does not have to conflict with goals of energy efficiency. Combined with whole building tune-ups, tuning ventilation and air filtration systems does not need to increase energy consumption.
Funds can be used for installing and improving ventilation systems in congregate settings, health care settings, or other public facilities including schools. Funds can also be given to businesses, non-profits, and other entities that may benefit from COVID-19 mitigation measures. This includes commercial buildings, office buildings, dense worksites, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, multi-family residential buildings, restaurants, correctional facilities, transportation hubs, and public transit vehicles, among other locations. Recipients are encouraged to consider congregate settings and other key locations as priorities for installation and improvement of ventilation systems.
Some of the $472 billion in government funding available through the American Rescue Plan is being allocated directly to schools, Tribal governments, and municipalities, but another portion of the money is available for small businesses, non-profits, and impacted industries who were the hardest hit by the pandemic. These entities can lobby their local and state governments to receive funding through the American Rescue Plan. Grant funds have been allocated to be used for a broad variety of uses, aimed at helping businesses to recover and be better prepared for the uncertainties of the future, with specific actions designed to advance indoor air quality and prevent subsequent complications related to health challenges, testing, unnecessary isolation, closures, and staff shortages. Grant applications are reviewed and awarded on a local level and must be submitted for approval before the allocation runs out.
Funding is easily accessible through the American Rescue Plan. It has already been allocated to each school and municipality. It includes $350 billion in grants for state and local governments to allocate, plus an additional $122 billion for schools to use to support investments in ventilation and IAQ improvements. Unlike the funding process for previous programs like the CARES Act, these funds have already been appropriated at the state and local level, so money is conveniently accessible, with each district and municipality responsible for distributing their own grant money.
Organizations should implement an action plan and budget for approved updates as soon as possible to secure grants and take advantage of available funding before it is depleted. Your municipality is responsible for distributing their allocated funding to end-users, as well as pass-through entities.
Funding must be obligated by December 31, 2024.
Funding must be expended by no later than December 31, 2026.
The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge and the funds associated with it are specifically focused on enhancing indoor air quality. This encompasses projects related to enhanced monitoring and purification strategies, optimizing fresh air ventilation, and also measuring the detectable effects that upgrades have on indoor air quality metrics, and communicating air quality efforts and data with the people who spend time in the building. It includes upgrading windows as appropriate and making HVAC updates to modernize existing systems in order to optimize the amount of fresh air being circulated in the building and increase air exchanges per hour. It also covers the addition of supplemental air filtration and purification devices, including the use of technology that utilizes ultraviolet germicidal irradiation systems (UVGI) to clean the air.
Finally, adding technology to monitor the air quality to be able to react accordingly and to communicate key data to decision makers and building inhabitants is a key initiative included in the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge. Air monitoring allows buildings to assess the effectiveness of their systems and measure the ROI on updates, make informed decisions and adjust other settings in the building according to real-time data about air quality threats, and share important facts about the air quality with those affected by it.
Ventilation improvements, including updates to HVAC systems, improved air filtration, and increased outdoor air flow, can help reduce the concentration and risk of exposure to aerosols, and thus infection with COVID-19. The National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan specifies that improving ventilation and air filtration is a key component of keeping schools and businesses safely open. Although improvements to ventilation and air cleaning cannot on their own eliminate the risk of airborne transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recommended taking steps to improve indoor air quality (IAQ ) including optimizing fresh air ventilation, enhancing air filtration and cleaning, and managing the way air flows as components of a larger approach that may include individual actions and layered prevention strategies.
Funding must be spent on credible technology and substantiated updates related to enhancing indoor air quality. If funding is mis-appropriated on projects and technology that do not move the needle on enhancing air safety, it will not be approved, and any grant money spent on such unauthorized projects will be reclassified as a loan and required to be paid back.
All building owners and operators making decisions around which updates and actions to pursue are encouraged to do their research to avoid wasting valuable investment money on unproven and controversial science such as those that add other chemicals to the air, posing unwanted additional health risks to humans in the building, or selecting upgrades with filters that are not strong enough to actually eliminate viruses like COVID. According to the EPA, in their guide to air cleaners and HVAC filters for helping to combat airborne viruses:
“In order for an air cleaner to be effective in removing viruses from the air, it must be able to remove small airborne particles (in the size range of 0.1-1 um).”
Only air purifiers and filters capable of achieving MERV 19 grade air can capture particles as small as 0.1 microns, the size range of most common viruses, including COVID-19 and the flu. Most consumer grade filters are only able to filter to MERV 13 standards, removing larger particles like pet dander, soot and pollen, while leaving the smaller, more dangerous particles in the air.
For more info on eligible and ineligible projects please contact us.
Want to learn more?
Download the full blueprint to the White House’s Clean Air in Buildings Challenge for in depth information on policy and funding, and specific data on how much your district has available.
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