Indoor Air Quality Solutions Part 1: If You’re Building a Home

When we remember what it takes to have good indoor air quality, we can see that there are a myriad of actions we can take to give us healthy homes.  Some of our actions depend on our specific problems.  BUT-several actions should be taken by EVERY homeowner to reduce the potential for indoor air quality problems in their homes.

If you’re building a home
Very simply: choose a builder who understands and builds in good indoor air quality.  The mark of a builder who truly understands good IAQ is one whose home bears the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Indoor Air Package designation.  Next best is a home that has qualified for a Green Building designation from the U.S. Green Building Council or the National Association of Home Builders. Both of those standards have built-in IAQ protections.

You’ll see that new homes built with upgraded attention to IAQ address radon and moisture in the design process by installing activated systems that use a small fan to draw radon and moisture from under the slab through a system of pipes. The latest guidelines from standard-writing agencies are incorporated to address ventilation, both whole house and local exhaust.

Low-emitting building materials are also specified in these standards to encourage source control.  And filtration options are also suggested.  Other source control methods include central vacuum cleaners which vent outside of the conditioned area of the house.