enVerid Systems, a provider of indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy efficiency solutions, announced that its enVerid Air Purifier will be sold by Trane Technologies as part of Trane’s Wellsphere Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) solutions portfolio. enVerid’s ceiling-mounted HEPA air filtration units will be available from Trane starting immediately across the United States and Canada.
Trane’s Wellsphere initiative, a holistic approach to indoor environmental quality, takes a three-step approach to building wellness: Assess, Mitigate, and Manage. Trane IEQ experts provide commercial and institutional buildings with air quality assessments to better understand their needs. The assessment evaluates four key pillars of indoor air quality – Dilute, Exhaust, Contain and Clean – and equips building managers with a roadmap and solutions for HVAC improvements that will bring facilities into alignment with CDC and ASHRAE recommendations.
Trane will offer the enVerid Air Purifier as part of its portfolio of air cleaning solutions, adding a robust ceiling mounted, HEPA air filtration product to help capture contaminants such as certain virus-carrying bioaerosols, wildfire smoke, and other microscopic particulates at the source level. Experts agree that HEPA filtration is one of the most effective mitigation measures to slow the spread of COVID-19: according to the CDC, “HEPA filters are no less than 99.97% efficient at capturing human-generated viral particles associated with SARS-CoV-2.” Recent ASHRAE guidance also recommends the use of HEPA filters for wildfire smoke mitigation.
“As part of Trane’s holistic approach to indoor environmental quality, we offer our customers effective solutions that optimize indoor environments and help create healthier, more comfortable spaces,” says Scott Huffmaster, sales leader, Healthy Spaces, Trane. “We are pleased to broaden our portfolio of air cleaning solutions with enVerid’s robust in-room air purifier. The enVerid Air Purifier aligns with ASHRAE and CDC recommendations with its HEPA filtration and in-unit UV technology. It’s a category leader for a number of reasons; it is commercial grade, specifiable, and importantly, its ceiling-mounted design offers optimal airflow, quiet operation and a more permanent solution.”
“We are excited that our enVerid Air Purifier will be offered by industry leader Trane as part of its innovative Wellsphere initiative,” adds Christian Weeks, CEO of enVerid Systems. “Building operators want proven, durable indoor air quality solutions that can address concerns about mitigating COVID-19 transmission immediately and can be utilized long-term to filter out other harmful particulates including wildfire smoke, pollution and allergens. Our commercial-strength, ceiling-mounted solution helps capture bioaerosols and substantially reduces the noise issues and tripping hazards associated with floor-level portable HEPA products.”
Ceiling-mounted HEPA filtration units are preferred by IAQ experts for COVID-19 transmission mitigation for a number of reasons, most importantly because they maximize air flow given their unobstructed location and optimized placement in the center of a room and because they are quieter to operate than most portable units.
“With respect to air cleaners for airborne pathogens, there is a very clear hierarchy of performance,” said Raefer Wallis, global indoor air quality expert and Founder of RESET. “At the very top, we find ceiling-mounted filtration systems that allow for a very high level of control in specific areas because they are ducted and unobstructed by objects in a room. This is extremely important for issues like COVID-19, where aerosolized viruses can be reduced at the source. The next level down is portable filters, which can be 20-50 percent less effective than their ceiling mounted counterparts mainly due to challenges with placement in a space.”
For more insight from IAQ experts on COVID-19 mitigation recommendations, check out these helpful enVerid blog posts and recordings from the IAQ Webinar Series featuring ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force members:
- Webinar – Dr. William Bahnfleth: ASHRAE’s COVID-19 Mitigation Recommendations for HVAC Systems
- Blog – ASHRAE Releases New Planning Framework for Protecting Commercial Building Occupants from Wildfire Smoke
- Blog – ASHRAE’s Guidance for COVID-19 Mitigation has Changed. Has your Strategy Kept Up?
- Blog – HEPA Air Filtration Units – Why It’s More Important Than Ever for Schools to do Their Homework.