Indoor Air Quality
HVAC and air-cleaning systems performance testing solutions provider SafeTraces recently announced that the Clark County School District (CCSD) in Nevada has become the first public school district in the U.S. to achieve the UL Verified Ventilation & Filtration (VVF) annual verification mark in its portfolio of facilities, according to a news release.
Indoor Air Quality
There is a growing level of both interest and requirements to improving Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) through improved ventilation, temperature and humidity control, and filtration to improve the health of students and teachers in K–12 schools. Aging equipment often is not designed to meet these requirements, prompting replacement. But this replacement comes with an added benefit—that being significantly improved efficiency.
- By Michael Schires
- 10/17/23
Podcast
Acoustics isn't only about creating quite classrooms. It's a critical part of the overall IEQ of a school—from classrooms to nurses' offices to administration spaces. New and better technologies exist to give schools solutions that achieve what is needed in today's world while keeping budget parameters in mind. These acoustical solutions start at the top with ceilings, and not all ceilings are alike. Join us as Sean Browne, Senior Manager of Research & Development for Armstrong World Industries, walks us through choosing the right ceiling to optimize acoustics for better learning experiences.
Healthy Schools
Today’s K–12 leaders are tasked with everything from adhering to rigorous academic standards to implementing operational procedures to building healthy school communities, and for many, sustainability unintentionally falls to the bottom of the priority list. Further, the cost of taking on green initiatives is on the rise, making it even more of a challenge for financially strapped school districts to meet sustainability expectations and commitments.
- By Cheryl Aquadro
- 09/05/23
Healthy Schools
Extreme heat is becoming more and more of a problem during the early and late weeks of the school year. To prevent hot temperatures and poor air quality from being an issue for K–12 facilities, it’s important for school leaders to be proactive in their preparation.
- By Michael Schires
- 08/25/23
Indoor Air Quality
With the start of a new school year, the health & wellness of students, teachers, and school district employees has become—more than ever—a top priority and concern.
Healthy Schools
Sensor solutions company FreshAir recently announced the launch of the FreshAir1 Smoking Detection System, according to a news release. The technology monitors for and detects tobacco and marijuana smoke, and it is geared toward use in school and university buildings.
Healthy Schools
In the pre-pandemic world, IAQ was often recognized as a best practice for K–12 facilities. While its importance was never in question, there wasn’t much of an emphasis on the vital role it plays in our children’s lives and development. It didn’t make the evening news or create the buzz it does now. The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the necessity of having clean, comfortable air.
Healthy Schools
Facility solutions provider ABM recently announced that it has initiated an Energy Performance Contracting Program with the Abbeville County School District (ACSD) in South Carolina. A news release reports that the solution will modernize facility infrastructure in all the district’s schools and save the district about $4.9 million in energy and operating costs over the next 15 years.
indoor Air Quality
Air monitoring systems provider Poppy Health recently released the results of a pilot study that it conducted alongside Primary.Health to test indoor air at California K–12 schools, according to a news release.
Podcast
In this episode of Schools in Focus, we’ll be talking about indoor air quality in schools. Our guests are Mike Wolf, Director of Regulatory Business Development, and Tyler Mancl, Principal Application Engineer, both with Greenheck.
Healthy Schools
HVAC industry solutions provider Modine Manufacturing Company recently announced a new resource to help K–12 facilities managers monitor their school’s IAQ (indoor air quality) needs.
Healthy Schools
Chancery High School in Orlando, Fla., recently installed a new clean air solution from pathogen control technology company UV Angel. According to a news release, the school installed 59 UV Angel Clean Air units.
Indoor Air Quality
Indoor air quality technology is complicated, mostly because you can't see it. There remains a lot of confusion about expectations of these devices and what they truly are (and aren’t) capable of. Here’s what you want to consider before installing these devices in your facility.
Expert Viewpoint
A history of deferred maintenance could take the wind out of improved ventilation strategies.
Podcast
This episode's topic is "Improving Building Health, Safety and Security with Smart Sensor Technology," and our guest is Mike Davis, National Sales Manager for IPVideo. We'll talk about the different types of sensors and the variety of data they can collect, from physical to chemical to environmental to security. This episode is sponsored by IPVideo.
Policy & Funding
The White House launched a new program Thursday, calling on schools, colleges and universities to work to improve indoor air quality. In conjunction with the launch, the Environmental Protection Agency also released new guidelines for best practices for improving indoor air quality and reducing the spread of COVID-19 further.
Podcast
Disinfection techniques that help make classrooms safe for students, teachers and staff are still top of mind. Here to discuss some of the benefits of ultraviolet light disinfection are Bruce Ramsay, Brand Manager for Visioneering, and Tim Stevens, Director of Product Management for Certolux. We’ll touch on some facts and myths about UV light, the role of UV light in maintaining clean education spaces, the challenges that education professionals should be aware of when purchasing UV light technology, and the technology’s benefits for end users in educational facilities. This episode of Schools in Focus is sponsored by Viscor, a Leviton company.
Healthy Schools
The North Bend School District in North Bend, Ore., recently announced that it has chosen Alen as its provider of indoor air quality solutions.
Healthy Schools
The Meriwether County School District in Greenville, Ga., announced this week that its school board has voted to install disinfection devices on buses.
COVID-19 and many other viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets and aerosols in the air. Studies suggest that emissions from people can span a room and be pulled into air circulation systems in just a few seconds. A strong air-monitoring and air-management strategy can make the difference between a healthy environment and one in which disease easily spreads.
- By Jonathan Antar
- 10/01/21
It is a well-known fact that the environment affects human performance, both physically and mentally. This is especially true for students, who are impacted by the quality of air in their learning environment.
Indoor Air Quality
Johnson Controls announced this week that it is contributing its OpenBlue Healthy Buildings portfolio to a pre-existing partnership between two science and safety organizations. UL and SafeTraces joined forces in March 2021 to begin evaluating the effectiveness of indoor air quality and HVAC systems, as well as infection control strategies, in K–12 schools.
COVID-19 and Schools
As schools and universities prepare for the return of students and faculty after nearly a year of remote learning, many are faced with growing concerns around how to keep facilities safe in the post-pandemic world. This is doubly true when considering that crucial HVAC and building management systems (BMS) are often outdated and in need of replacement.
Higher Ed Survey
The results of a new survey from JLL have revealed that campus cleanliness and indoor air quality now rank among the top factors in college selection. JLL, a Fortune 200 commercial real estate and professional services firm, surveyed about 500 parents of tenth- through twelfth-grade students about their priorities while considering higher education destinations.
Podcast
Maintaining indoor air quality has gained renewed importance as K–12 students around the country prepare to return to in-person learning full time. It’s one of the timeliest, most important methods of keeping learning environments safe as the COVID pandemic winds down. And the more we learn, the more we refine and revise what we thought we knew. Our guest is Scott Huffmaster, the commercial HVAC leader for indoor air quality for North America for Trane Technologies, Inc. This episode is sponsored by Trane.
Campus Sustainability
The University of Arkansas is about to embark on a new round of energy-saving upgrades for its campus. The improvements will include the addition of LED lighting; fault detection diagnostics; upgrades to HVAC; and examination of building envelope systems and other retro-commissioning work. In total, the latest project will encompass some six million square feet of facilities.
- By Dian Schaffhauser
- 06/08/21
Indoor Air Quality
The Indiana State School Bus Committee has approved the installation of ultraviolet light air purification systems on school buses statewide. The decision became final after the success of a trial program run in partnership with indoor air quality solutions provider Lumin-Air.
Indoor Air Quality
One of the most impactful and comprehensive ways these schools are earning trust as they reopen is by implementing HVAC solutions and clean air strategies. By integrating time-tested, scientifically-proven clean air strategies into existing infrastructure, school leaders can create highly connected facilities that deliver long-term resiliency, sustainability and productivity.
COVID-19 and Schools
Industrial light fixture solutions company Kenall has announced that its Indigo-Clean technology has been proven in independent lab testing to safely kill 94 percent of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza-A.