ASHRAE guide puts educators in command of classroom indoor air quality
During the pandemic, indoor air quality in schools took the spotlight as lawmakers, parents and the public realized the importance of proper ventilation and filtration in keeping children safe from airborne pathogens. Long before this, ventilation professionals were working on ways to inform educators, administrators and school districts about indoor air quality — the pandemic only increased the urgency to get easy-to-use information into the hands of those who could make the most difference.
Recently, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) released a guide, developed by the ASHRAETechnical Committee 9.7 – Educational Facilities, for educators, administrators and school districts on indoor air quality.The document,“Design Guidance for Educational Facilities: Prioritization for Advanced Indoor Air Quality,”provides a checklist as well as prerequisite and optional tasks in order of importance. Design professionals and contractors can use the guide as a tool when sitting down with school personnel to discuss options to improve indoor air quality based on existing HVAC equipment, regional objectives andavailable funding.(After recent consultation with various government agencies, the guide will be updated to reflect the needs of government grants.)