EPA Planning IAQ Label for Homes

EBN that “there are a lot of potential minefields out there.” The standards have been developed by EPA’s Indoor Environments Division and Climate Protection Partnerships Division, in coordination with the American Lung Association (ALA) Health House Initiative. Many people worked on the draft language for the ALA guidelines. Among them were Terry Brennan and others from the Building Science Consortium; their work was funded through the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America Program.

While Rashkin and Energy Star Homes have been involved in development of these standards, the program is not expected to become part of the Energy Star Homes Program. Doing so would result in confusion in the marketplace, according to EPA materials about the proposed IAQ label. “The Energy Star ‘brand’ promise is that any product or home with the label offers energy-efficient performance that is also good for the environment,” according to materials sent by EPA to reviewers. “IAQ is a very different promise (e.g., IAQ measures may or may not save energy or help the outdoor environment) and, therefore, should not be branded with Energy Star.” Consequently, this is envisioned as a complementary label for homes that would be promoted along with the Energy Star label. To carry the IAQ label, a home would have to also carry the Energy Star label, including all requirements for third-party verification.