WASHINGTON — In order to advance indoor air quality protection, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing proposed updates to the Indoor airPLUS program, and will be taking public comment for 60 days. Comments will be accepted until April 3, 2023.
Indoor airPLUS is a voluntary partnership and labeling program designed to improve indoor air quality in homes to help reduce the likelihood of common and serious health problems like heart disease, cancer, asthma and other respiratory issues. Builders that participate in the program must use construction practices designed to minimize exposure to airborne pollutants and contaminants in the home. The indoor airPLUS program also requires that these practices are inspected and certified by qualified verifiers.
The updates to the program being proposed today take into consideration the broad range of feedback EPA received in response to a December 2020 opportunity for public comment on revised Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications proposed at that time. This 2023 proposal is designed to address feedback received on the 2020 proposal and to encourage broad industry participation to advance indoor air quality protections, while strengthening program integrity with an improved verification and quality assurance framework.
Under this proposed program update, builders will have an opportunity to choose between two Indoor airPLUS labels: Indoor airPLUS Certification, and Indoor airPLUS Gold. The proposed “Indoor airPLUS Certification” specifications focus on strategies to improve indoor air quality without a pre-requisite of ENERGY STAR certification. The proposed “Indoor airPLUS Gold” specifications include more advanced protections for improved indoor air quality in conjunction with ENERGY STAR certification.
Other features of the proposed program update include changes to the training requirements for verifiers, a Home Certification Organization model to improve quality assurance, and a five-year expiration date to the new Indoor airPLUS labels and specifications for voluntary recertification by the home/building owner after the five-year expiration.
Following the 60-day comment period, EPA expects to release the final Indoor airPLUS Certification and Gold specifications in January 2024. During the first 12-months of implementation beginning January 2024, partners could continue to use Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications Version 1, Rev.4 or begin to use one of the new two-tier specifications, if finalized. EPA anticipates that the Indoor airPLUS Construction Specifications Version 1, Rev. 4 will be sunset by January 2025. These dates are subject to change.
More about the Indoor airPLUS program:
Indoor airPLUS homes are healthier by design, improving indoor air quality (IAQ) and comfort. Labeled homes can help reduce the likelihood of common and serious health problems like heart disease, cancer, asthma, allergies, respiratory issues, headaches and more through comprehensive IAQ approaches. These approaches include mold and moisture control; radon resistance; pest management; improved heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning systems; combustion venting; healthier building materials; and homeowner education.
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