EPA’S New
ENERGY STAR
Indoor Air Package
By Henry Slack, PE , Indoor Air Program,
US EPA Region 4
Indoor air is so popular with
consumers that filters, air cleaners, and other devices have become a multi-billion dollar market. If add-on devices are this popular, why not sell a whole house that has fewer indoor air problems?
It makes sense. After all, for builders and new homeowners, poor indoor air causes complaints, callbacks, and sometimes even courtroom claims. Since asthma and allergies affect nearly one-third of U.S. households, large numbers of people are interested in having a home with better air quality – and the ENERGY STAR Indoor Air Package (IAP) was specifically designed to reduce these risks.
Think of the ENERGY STAR IAP as an opportunity for builders to add value to their product and capitalize on the marketing power of Energy Star while making certain that their homes avoid many of the all-too-common problems.
It’s offered by EPA’s ENERGY STAR program, which is already widely adopted by builders nationwide. In fact, many of the practices in the IAP are already being used by quality-focused builders, although without additional recognition.
Of course, no one can guarantee good Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), but you can certainly build a house with much lower chances of IAQ problems, including commonly overlooked health risks like mold and radon. In fact, these important IAQ protections are encouraged in most green homebuilding programs, such as EarthCraft House.
About the Indoor Air Package
The specifications in the IAP were developed with four balanced principals. First, all specs had to be science-based; not just “nice,” but, those reducing a clear health risk. Secondly, the materials had to be available and affordable (no single-supplier items, thank you). Third, the specs all had to be compatible with common builders’ practices – or no builders would participate. And lastly, each spec had to be easily verifiable on inspection.
With the IAP, builders can distinguish themselves from their competitors, while reducing the risk to their customers (and to themselves). Piloted with builders in Denver, it’s now available nationwide.
Like ENERGY STAR , a home’s IAP will be checked by independent Home Energy Raters (HERS), the same HERS folks who now conduct the two Energy Star inspections, pre-drywall and finish. In fact, they’ll check the IAP on the same visits!
The Indoor Air Package is also compatible with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Homes and EarthCraft House credits – there’s a lot of overlap. Think of it as the next logical step to sustainability!
But also recognize, the IAP is NOT a cure-all. It reduces chemical levels in new homes, and installs means of controlling pollutants that may be released. But it can’t prevent every problem, just as even a careful driver cannot avoid every crash.
You can download the IAP specification document and verification checklist (PDF) at: www.energystar.gov/homes/iap. You’ll find specs dealing with moisture control radon, ventilation, HVAC effectiveness, and duct leakage, as well as specs for sealing garage fumes and chemicals from the living area.
To Get Started
To start building homes with the ENERGY STAR IAP:
- contact your HERS Rater and tell him/her you want to build Indoor Air Package labeled homes,
- determine which IAP specifications apply to your homes, and make necessary changes,
- build and label qualifying homes, and
- enjoy the competitive advantage!
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the U.S. EPA. Thanks to Eric Werling, EPA, for support.
For more information:
For information about the Energy Star Indoor Air Package for new homes:
www.energystar.gov/homes/iap
For information about Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and related health risks:
www.epa.gov/iaq/ia-intro.html
