Appropriate and efficient air filtration in public buildings is a crucial step in relieving society's carbon footprint. Filtration aides indoor air quality and protects the health of occupants. I know this may sound crazy but, public buildings are… PUBLIC! Anyone and any particulate can enter, and although the people leave, do the particulates?
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
While this may be hard to believe and very alarming, IAQ may (in some areas) be worse than ambient/outdoor air quality (AAQ) within buildings. Children and the elderly are very vulnerable when it comes to air pollutants. Depending on the region that the building is in, the AAQ and IAQ may differ. The quality outside can be worse than the inside or vice versa.
Selecting the air filter that best meets the needs of the building is most important. Proper ventilation can control building temperature. Filters are meant to remove airborne contaminants in an energy efficient way but cannot do that if it does not belong in a certain building. It is essential that the proper selection is made in order to enhance performance.
MERV Rating: What is Best?
The minimum rating that would still benefit a public building would be 11. A rating at eleven has a 60-65% efficiency and it used for better commercial buildings. The best rating so far for a public building filter is 15. A rating at fifteen has a nearly 95% efficiency and catches all bacteria.
