Early on in my carrier when working for a regional production builder, the president and owner suggested that indoor air quality was that path forward to communicate the benefits of applied building science, resilient, and energy efficient construction. I think he was right, but it still has taken living through covid to get the consumer to understand its importance to health in our homes.  Version 2 of the Indoor airPLUS program, which has just been released, will help us better understand the complexities of indoor air quality while pointing to relatively simple things we can do to ensure we build for better air quality.  It’s more than ventilation and filtration, it’s the fundamentals of applied building science and systems thinking, packaged in such a way that builders can truly market the benefits.

Nick Hurst is a renaissance man who, as you will hear, has been able to incorporate his love of music with his work in applied building science. He comes from the construction industry but has changed his focus from being a contractor and educator to being the EPA’s program manager for the Indoor airPLUS program. After learning more about Nick’s path to the EPA we hunker down and work our way through this newly released program.  I must note up front that although we accurately reflect the direction of version 2 of the IAP the discussion reflects the opinions of Nick and myself and not necessarily those of the EPA.

Nick Hurst on LinkedIn

Indoor AirPlus Version 2

Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products

Frequent Questions for Consumers about the Formaldehyde Standards for Composite Wood Products Act