WASHINGTON—The asthma & allergy friendly Certification Program, which is jointly run by Allergy Standards Limited (ASL) and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America is participating in Greenbuild’s International Conference & Expo taking place September 21 to 23 in San Diego. Greenbuild provides the opportunity for the world’s leading architects, designers, builders, sustainability professionals, consultants and governments to connect, learn, network, and source innovative solutions to improve resilience, sustainability, and quality of life in buildings, cities, and communities. The asthma & allergy friendly Certification Program’s involvement in Greenbuild will be two-fold: Allergy Standards Limited CEO, Dr. John McKeon will serve as a keynote speaker at the Global Health &...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The International Code Council—the leading global source of model codes and standards and building safety solutions—launched its “Code on a Mission” challenge which aims to have over a third of the U.S. population covered by the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) by the end of 2023. To make this a reality, the Code Council is challenging the building industry and communities alike to update their building energy codes to meet or exceed the requirements of the 2021 IECC. Already industry leaders like Architecture 2030, the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), Energy Efficient Codes Coalition (EECC), Northeast Energy Efficiency...

Commercial buildings, including hotels in the United States, waste up to $60 billion in energy every year. That is not a good record, especially since by 2050, every building in the world will need to achieve the target goal of net-zero energy use to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Given that most buildings that will exist in the next 30 years have already been built, the only way to get there is more technology and digitization of buildings and the built environment. So says Paul Ghezzi, CEO and Director of Kontrol Technologies, whose company’s aim is to make...

Monsoon season excites many residents and tourists during the summer, but hotel operators and building owners must recognize that monsoon season can pose serious threats to people and property. This year, unpredictable and intense monsoons have been sweeping the southwestern United States, increasing the amount of dust and debris particles in the air which can decrease the performance and efficiency of air conditioning units. Not only does this reduce the level of comfort in the building, but it also impacts the quality of the indoor air your employees and guests breathe. It’s no surprise your building’s commercial HVAC unit is...

WEST LAFAYETTE, IND.—By now, it’s well known that circulating outdoor air in buildings is safer than recirculating indoor air. That point was driven home by the pandemic. Problem is, it is just not cost-effective. That may soon change. Purdue University engineers have proposed a system that combines new membrane technology with the latest HVAC systems to make 100 percent outdoor air systems more energy-efficient and economically feasible—especially in warm, humid climates. They say their system could save up to 66 percent in energy costs for large buildings that choose to use the safer outdoor air. Previous research at Purdue has shown that...

ODESSA, FLA.—A technology used on the International Space Station to purify and clean the air—Titanium Dioxide has been improved upon by Pure-Light Technologies, Inc., the newest addition to the Green Lodging News Green Product & Service Directory. Patent pending, LED bulbs, produce super oxygen molecules that purify and deodorize the air of musty odors from mold, bacteria and breaks down toxic VOCs. The bulbs are coated with a formula of Titanium Dioxide. Various bulb types are available—dimmable or non-dimmable bulbs for table lamps, globe bulbs, candelabra bulbs, can bulbs, & 4-foot tube bulbs. The bulbs use 70 to 90 percent...

ATLANTA—Acuity Brands, Inc. announced that its Care222 filtered far-UVC module with patent-pending dosing electronics is the first germicidal UV (GUV) source in the wavelength range 200-230 nm (i.e., “far-UVC”)  to be UL LLC Certified to meet U.S. and Canadian standards for germicidal equipment for use in occupied spaces. When properly installed and administered, the module is in the Exempt risk group for photobiological hazards, as described in the IEC 62471:2006, Photobiological safety of lamps and lamp systems. “This tremendous technical achievement has come at a time when the worldwide awareness of the need to control pathogens has never been greater. Substantive pathogen...

Axxess Industries THE trusted Guest Service System & Smart Room Controls Specialist Hotel Owners and Operators are looking for a variety of ways to reduce the cost of running their hotels and attracting more guests. Axxess Industries manufactures a comprehensive assortment of elegant, practical, tech-savvy products for the Smart Automation and Control of Hotels. Our guestroom control systems combine to save energy and staff costs while wowing guests with comfort and convenience. Our electronic Do Not Disturb systems guarantee guest privacy while making staff more efficient. All systems and room number signs are highly customizable and made in Canada. Think Smart...

NEWTON, MASS.—Aircuity, a leader in creating healthy and sustainable buildings, announced its support for the recently launched WELL Performance Rating, a new standard for healthy indoor environments developed by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). IWBI designed the new rating as a new designation that “uses dynamic human and building performance metrics to enhance the experience of the people inside.” This endorsement reflects Aircuity’s more than 20 years of experience working to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) through accurate IAQ measurement and control. Aircuity’s approach to improving IAQ centers on the company’s belief in the importance of independent industry metrics...

MUKILTEO, WASH.—As the nation stumbled its way through the pandemic in the past year, with public fears and government mandates abounding, most companies (95.6 percent) tried to do something to combat COVID-19 transmission in poorly ventilated, indoor spaces. Unfortunately, according to a new survey, they often made subpar investments, spending millions of dollars with limited success. The survey was commissioned by Omni CleanAir, a maker of commercial-grade air purification systems that have been eliminating airborne illnesses for more than 30 years. “We polled more than 430 HR managers around the country on the importance of various COVID-19 precautions and defense measures,...