IWBI Advances New Indoor Air Quality Code Proposals
Two first-of-their-kind indoor-air-quality related code proposals pass overwhelmingly at ICC’s Public Comment Hearing in September -- Final Vote of ICC Members on Proposals in Mid-October
International Code Council (ICC) voters recently passed two IWBI-supported proposals to improve indoor air quality to better safeguard occupants and prevent the spread of airborne contagions. The proposals, submitted for inclusion in the 2024 I-codes, were considered during ICC’s Public Comment Hearing in Pittsburgh last month with final voting continuing until mid-October. The I-codes are the most widely used and adopted set of building codes in the world.
IWBI was on hand to participate in the hearings to support the two proposals, representing the first proposals in the country since the pandemic to help better address indoor air quality improvements in the International Mechanical Code. They included 1) the Clean Air Ready (M25-21) proposal, which will require mechanical systems to accommodate a MERV13 filter and require the electrical infrastructure necessary for clean air delivery, and 2) the Demand Control Ventilation (M26-21) proposal, which will require occupiable spaces to have CO2 sensors to help monitor for adequate ventilation, as well as ventilation systems that satisfy outdoor air thresholds. Both were submitted by Johnson Controls, a global building technology leader and IWBI member.
Dr. Matthew Trowbridge and I traveled to Pittsburgh to engage in the hearings and voice support for the proposals.
Dr. Trowbridge delivers testimony to the ICC’s International Mechanical Code Committee.
“While perhaps no surprise to this group, we spend 90 percent of our lives in buildings. Being inside buildings, including the air we’re breathing, has a tremendous impact on our health,” said Trowbridge in his testimony. “We urge the International Mechanical Code Committee to support these proposals – small changes that would have big implications for occupant health, while also helping us better prepare our buildings in the face of future health threats to come.”
The collective arguments were compelling — both proposals were approved overwhelmingly during the hearings, each receiving more than 90 percent of the vote. Additional online voting will continue throughout October before the proposals would be officially adopted.
During the hearing, IWBI joined in support of these proposals alongside leading energy efficiency companies, non-profit organizations, trade associations and notable public health groups, including the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the American Lung Association, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), and the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA).
“Delivering clean air to occupants has become an essential characteristic of healthy, sustainable buildings,” said Mark Lessans, Director of Regulatory and Environmental Affairs at Johnson Controls and the proponent of M25 and M26. “At Johnson Controls we welcome these additions to the IMC as they provide design guidance that will enable advanced ventilation and filtration strategies through solutions like our OpenBlue Healthy Buildings offering.”
Harold Wimmer, National President and CEO, American Lung Association, said in a support letter, “We urge the International Mechanical Code Committee to consider these commonsense changes to prepare buildings to address future health threats posed by airborne viruses.”
