A Breath Of A Breath Of Fresh Air Fresh Air - AIRAH Home

ChillquizChill quizCan you pickthese famousCan you pickfrigorific figures?these famousfrigorific figures?SkillsSkillsWORKSHOPHVAC hygiene –SystemcleaningWORKSHOPand verificationHVAC hygiene –System cleaningand verificationA breath offresairA breath ofh fresh airThe emerging market for indoor air qualityJune–July 2020 / ISSUE 132 PRINT POST APPROVAL NUMBER PP 727272/60606FREE

Cover FeatureA BREATH OFFRESH AIRHome dwellers have become increasingly conscious of the impacts mould, microbial bacteriaand other irritants can have on indoor environment quality, and our health.Sean McGowan investigates how these concerns arebeing addressed by residential air conditioning systems.The average adult takes more than 20,000 breathsa day, and most of them are taken indoors.In fact, it is generally agreed that Australiansspend 90 per cent of their day indoors.While our homes provide us shelter, securityand warmth, they can also be havens forcontaminants that have an adverse effecton our health and wellbeing.“I don’t believe we know the extent of mould inhomes and workplaces, and how it might affect theoccupants,” said Jesse Clarke, M.AIRAH, building sciencemanager at Pro Clima Australia at the time. www.airah.org.au/nationAnd there is evidence that public interest andknowledge of IAQ is impacting purchase decisions.“People today have greater access to healthinformation,” says Opira managing director andprincipal air quality scientist Scott Summerville,M.AIRAH. “Most people are aware that mould andother indoor pollutants can impact the healthand wellbeing of their family.”In fact, HVAC&R Nation delved into the issues of mouldin the home and its impact on human health includingtoxic mould syndrome in the August 2018 issue.HVAC&R NationOur efforts to improve the energy efficiency ofresidential dwellings and HVAC systems can alsoimpact residential IAQ if not done properly.But the good news is that Australian householders arebecoming increasingly aware of the impact poor IAQcan have on their health. Many are taking proactivesteps to improve their living environment.Common health problems resulting from exposureto poor IAQ include sensor and skin irritation,neurotoxic symptoms, hypersensitivity andeven odour and taste symptoms. indoor air quality is something homeowners areclearly concerned about.”As the airtightness of our homes improves, unlessgood ventilation systems are in place, natural airflowbecomes limited, which in turn allows pollutantsproduced indoors to build up.According to the federal Department of Agriculture,Water and the Environment, indoor air quality(IAQ) in the home can be affected by pollutantsbeing released from indoor sources such as gascookers and unflued gas heaters. Other pollutantssuch as fungi, microbial contamination, dust mites,particulates and air toxins such as formaldehydecan also have an impact.20TAKING CONTROL Specialising in environmental risk managementservices, Opira provides indoor air testing andworkplace hygiene testing.Summerville says IAQ is a topic that is top of mindat the moment.“Nobody knew what PM2.5 and PM10 were a year ago,”he says. “But with the recent bushfires across Australia,June–July 2020“Indoor air quality has always been a concern for asegment of the market, such as asthma sufferers,”says Daikin Australia national product manager RajSingh, M.AIRAH. “However, the recent bushfires haveincreased awareness of the effects of poor air qualityon health and thus a growing interest for effective airpurification and filtration solutions.”Singh says along with energy efficiency, noise levels,dimensions, aesthetics and ease of operations andcontrols, there has been an increase in the numberof customers asking about air-filtration or airpurification technologies inherent in the company’sair conditioning solutions.“Daikin has always considered indoor air quality a keycomponent of the overall comfort proposition,” he says.KEEPING IT CLEANAccording to Temperzone/Hitachi product specialistDeepika Naicker, today’s homeowners are digitallyconnected and socially networked. These dayscustomers prefer to gather all the requiredinformation about a potential product purchasebefore going anywhere near a salesperson.

Cover FeatureThis includes being across the health factors ina new air conditioning system.He says that customers are now consideringa technology’s capacity for bacteria removal,odour removal and other allergens.“Today’s air conditioners provide a lot morethan just heating and cooling,” Naicker says.“Modern air conditioners are designed toimprove air quality, and are equipped withsophisticated filters that aid in the removal ofdust, odours and other allergens.”As well as catering for these needs,Temperzone/Hitachi identified a unit’scleanliness as being an appealing featurefor potential customers, and introduced anew technology in its high wall split systems.Naiker says the technology addresses an issuethat had long stumped the air conditioningindustry: how to effectively and efficientlyclean the inside of room air conditioning units.“Air is always travelling across the surface ofthe heat exchanger where dust, mould andbacteria can accumulate, leading to reducedperformance and perceivable odours,” he says.“Keeping the heat exchanger clean is the keyto better quality air.”The self-cleaning technology works byfreezing moisture on the surface of the indoorunit heat exchanger to capture and removeimpurities that can build up over time.Our lungs can be affected by many allergens andother contaminants in the home, such as dust mites,damp, mould, nitrogen dioxide from gas cookingand heating, and organic solvents such as thosefound in cleaning fluids, paints and other products.June–July 2020 www.airah.org.au/nation HVAC&R Nation 21

Cover FeatureFILTRATION FOCUSEffective cooling of an indoor space has alwaysbeen a key consideration for those purchasing andinstalling an air conditioner. That’s a no-brainer. Buttoday consumers place just as much importance onvalue for money, energy efficiency, comfort, reliability,operability and after-sale support.And knowledge about system componentsis far more extensive than, say, five or 10 yearsago. This awareness covers the various types offiltration offered by major brands.Although a standard split system air conditionermight feature a filter with a low-to-mediumefficiency reporting value (MERV), mostmanufacturers offer units with considerablymore effective and advanced filtration systems.“Australians are always looking to improve their homeand how they look after their family,” says SamsungAustralia head of consumer electronics Jeremy Senior.He says health concerns play an increasing rolein consumers’ decision making, leading Samsungto introduce an advanced filtration system in itsrecently launched solution.Image source: US EPA.Samsung says this built-in standard feature introducesgenuine air purification to the market for the first time.Its three layers include a high-density filter designed tohelp extract large duct particles, fibres and animal hairs.“Our products have allergy filters fitted as standard,which are permanently electrically charged duringmanufacturing,” he says. “And then they use artificialenzymes to decompose the dust particles.”Mitsubishi Electric technical manager Ari Grimekissays IAQ is an important consideration in themanufacture of the company’s wall-hung units,which address allergies as standard.Grimekis says test data has shown that dust collectionis three times more effective with these filters fitted.But an increasing number of consumers are seekingCONTAMINATIONHAPPENSAs someone who specialises in HVAC hygienemanagement and indoor environmentalquality testing, Opira’s Scott Summerville,M.AIRAH, says that unprotected airconditioning systems that are not cleaned orserviced regularly will become contaminatedwith microbial growth. It is inevitable.But he says technology such as ultravioletlight sterilisation can dramatically reducethis microbial growth.“In systems where cleaning access is terriblyrestricted and difficult, it surprises me thatmore manufacturers are not utilising thistechnology,” Summerville says.As well as creating performance issuessuch as an inability to maintain airflows,heating and cooling, contaminatedsystems have the potential to impactthe air quality and subsequently thehealth of occupants.“We often see systems that contribute topoor indoor air quality because they arevery difficult to clean, or have no access forcleaning – particularly on both sides of thecoil and the fan scroll,” he says.For more information about HVAC hygiene,grab a copy of AIRAH’s HVAC HygieneBest Practice Guidelines, available atwww.airah.org.au/store22 HVAC&R Nation www.airah.org.au/nationIt's not just about cooling and heating anymore– customers are taking more of an interest inthe IAQ features of their air conditioners. June–July 2020even better filtration, leading Mitsubishi Electric to offeran advanced filter in its premium indoor unit range.“This filter works in two stages, where it makesplasma that inhibits the airborne mould, allergensand viruses,” he says. “At this stage it positively chargesdust particles. In the second stage, the filter makes astrong, negatively charged electric field that attractsthe positively charged dust particles.”