Video Transcript: Building with Indoor airPLUS 

What we’ve done is set a voluntary standard for indoor air quality features that are above and beyond what is required by law. 

It’s nice to see a government entity get involved and really start to put their stamp behind it. 

We wanted to add the Indoor airPLUS to the program that we are already doing for the energy efficiency, to make sure that the indoor air quality was as high quality as we could get it. 

The Indoor airPLUS qualified home includes indoor air quality features that protect from mold and moisture problems. 

We have to have proper water-managed homes.  You’ve got to have 5 feet on your gutters and things like that.  And what that does is enables the home to be able to shed the water as it supposed to so, it does not create mold and mildew.

We were adding this ERV to bring fresh air into the home.

We also have certain requirements like protecting the HVAC system during construction, to make sure dust does not get into the ducts. 

It’s sealed at every joint at every connection with mastic. This allows minimal air leakage.

In addition to that we’ve also added a return and supplies in each bedroom to try and balance the system out.

Pest barriers to prevent pests from entering the house. 

On the vents on the outside of the house we are trying to use a new type of baffle fan. 

What we’ve got with Indoor airPLUS is a requirement to isolate the garage through air sealing techniques and then add an exhaust fan to the garage and that’s not typically done by builders. 

You have none of that air and all that stuff being infiltrated into the home.

We’ve got protections for radon, a naturally occurring gas in the soil.

You got to remove radon from the home. If it’s not, the homeowners can get very sick. 

And then we also add requirements for low-emitting building materials.

We are using, like, low VOC paints and low VOC sealers on the floors, caulks, and things like that. 

You have to be willing to go outside the box just a little bit and with a little bit of help it makes it pretty easy.

We hear over and over again and have heard over and over again for over ten years about how indoor air quality and comfort are some of the most important reasons for doing green construction for consumers. So with Indoor airPLUS we’re just making it easy for builders to know that they have a government backed standard that backs up those claims of improved indoor air quality.