The Need for Change, A Call for Action

Learnings and lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic have been expansive and powerful. They have shone a necessary light on the importance of indoor air quality (IAQ), and with it the need for meaningful and long overdue innovation in our industry.

Because meeting tomorrow’s challenges requires innovation today, it is incumbent on all of us – individuals, businesses and associations alike – to ensure that this work prioritizes safety and efficacy. Only then can we ensure public confidence in our industry’s solutions.

As leaders in the industry, we must work together to provide swift, clear and fair direction on this issue, and to define and improve standards, protocols and guidance necessary to accomplish this goal.

To help chart our course, we the undersigned:

Recognize the Indoor Air Quality space is vast and diverse, and that while different technologies deliver a variety of benefits and challenges, we are united in a singular purpose: advancing the common good and safely improving indoor air.

Agree that the bar for standards that ensure safety, validate efficacy and foster greater public confidence must be raised. This includes expanding upon the UL 2998 zero ozone emissions standards to allow for broader methods to test for critical performance factors.

Support the need for scientifically valid testing protocols that adhere to commonly accepted methodologies. We need testing that takes into account the complexities of ‘real-world’ environments and the different applications of IAQ technologies.

Believe that responsible innovation – supported by stronger standards and enabled by consistently applied testing protocols – is fundamental to securing and advancing our collective interests.

While progress demands partnership and collaboration across communities and disciplines, one organization is uniquely positioned to champion these efforts. For 125+ years, ASHRAE has played a prominent role advancing research, standards and continuing education that “shapes tomorrow’s built environment today.”

That is why we, the undersigned, call on ASHRAE to take fair, prominent and fast action to lead this charge for advancement and change. Responsible innovation is in everyone’s best interest.