There are many air purification products on the market sprouting all types of claims; however, very few provide the high levels of protection and efficacy of air filtration they promise to deliver, according to Delos Australia managing director, Anthony Scarff.
Delos is a leader in science-backed solutions for healthier indoor spaces.
Retail environments involve high levels of shopper traffic, usually in enclosed spaces. For this reason, it is extremely important to ensure that the air is of high quality and constantly being cleansed.
“The reality is not all air purifiers are created equal and consumers and retail businesses need to understand the key differences and what to look for when purchasing and installing air purification units,” Scarff said.
“The need for air purification is now much better understood across the world. Effective air purification products can help to improve the environments in which we live, play, shop and work by making the quality of the air healthier to breathe.
“We spend the vast majority, about 90%, of our time indoors, and the spaces in which we utilise can influence almost every aspect of our lives, including our health and well-being. The risks of airborne diseases like Covid, the common cold and influenza viruses have helped us to become more aware of the importance of indoor air and the role it plays.
“In addition to the risks of airborne infections studies have also shown that poor indoor air quality is associated with cognitive function impairments, including our ability to concentrate and process information.
“Retailers looking to invest in the purchase of air purifiers, need to keep in mind that not all air purifiers perform the same. Some of the factors you need to consider include filter efficiency, clean air delivery rate (CADR, which indicates how frequently the air in the space is replaced with clean air), whether the purifier generates potentially harmful by-products such as ozone, and how much noise it makes while actively cleaning the air.”
Tips for making the right choice
- System strength
“It makes sense that if you have a smaller space, you will need a smaller air purifier and that in bigger spaces with more traffic you will need a more powerful unit or more units. Air purifiers must be capable of processing all of the air in a space. It is important to understand the strength of a unit and how much space it can reach. This involves determining the size of an area, air flow and ventilation and the capacity requirements of each air purifier to be installed,” Scarff said.
2. Air filtration efficacy
“Single-pass efficiency of a filter is a measure of its ability to reduce the pollutant concentration in the air that passes through it. The most commonly used filter efficiency metric is MERV (minimum efficiency reporting value), which ranges from one to 16, and the higher the MERV rating, the higher the particle removal efficiency,” Scarff explained.
“Another air purification standard, HEPA (high efficiency particulate air), refers to air purification filters that can remove at least 99.97 percent of particles with a size of 0.3 microns. Particles that are larger or smaller than 0.3 microns are captured with an even higher efficiency. Delos Intellipure units feature technology tested to demonstrate 99.99 percent efficiency at capturing and removing particles down to 0.007 microns, which exceeds HEPA filter efficiency requirements.”
3. Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR)
“Another measure of performance for air purifiers is the clean air delivery rate (CADR). A higher CADR value can be used to properly size portable air cleaners for a given space. The higher the CADR, the more particles the system can filter and the larger the area it can serve,” Scarff said.
“Delos offer air purification units that we call ‘plug and play’. With a range of sizes depending on the area of coverage, the freestanding systems are simply plugged into a nearby power supply. We also have in-duct systems and solutions for any size space.”