The Airborne Act, recently reintroduced by Virginia Representative Congressman Don Beyer with backing from ASHRAE and various industry groups, proposes a tax credit per square foot for indoor air quality (IAQ) assessments in commercial buildings. Announced on July 11, 2024, the reintroduction of this legislation aims to encourage non-residential property owners to perform IAQ assessments and enhance their ventilation and air filtration systems to better benefit the health of the building and its occupants.
In a statement made during the announcement, Beyer emphasized the urgency of improving IAQ in workplaces due to ongoing concerns about pandemics, stating, “The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated the dangers of airborne respiratory diseases and the importance of adequate indoor ventilation and indoor air quality, but the improved HVAC and air filtration systems necessary to improve air quality can be expensive to install and maintain. This bill would use the tax code to give building owners incentives to perform IAQ inspections and upgrades, which would make our workplaces safer from both the threat of COVID-19 and future airborne disease outbreaks.”
The Airborne Act would provide commercial building owners with a tax credit of $1 per square foot for conducting IAQ evaluations, $5 per square foot for upgraded air filters, $50 per square foot for HVAC system improvements capped at 50% of the total project cost. Additionally, it introduces a voluntary certification program through the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, allowing property owners to certify compliance with IAQ standards like ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2022, which the bill uses as its compliance foundation.
The Airborne Act not only provides an incentive to improve indoor air quality in commercial buildings but also sets a clear standard to adhere to to maximize improvements. This bill requires these IAQ upgrades to be designed to minimize ventilation energy use through the Indoor Air Quality Procedure (IAQP) of ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2022, as opposed to the less energy-efficient Ventilation Rate Procedure.
The Time is Now
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According to ASHRAE Executive Vice President Jeff Littleton, now is an opportune time to establish a national IAQ standard. He remarked, ”We regulate water and food, and as the pandemic showed, indoor air quality significantly impacts human health and comfort. Perhaps it’s time for federal regulation addressing indoor air quality.”
