Student health and safety should be top priorities for any education facility. In an increasingly turbulent world, a school should act as a haven for students to learn, socialize, and become their best selves. When students have these bases covered, it’s much easier for them to succeed. Indeed, schools that are safe, clean, and well-organized see improved rates in student participation, success, and retention. Many factors contribute to these positive outcomes, including the very air that everyone breathes.
Like most others in the country, students spend a fair deal of their time indoors. Unfortunately, approximately half of all U.S. schools report issues having to do with indoor air quality (IAQ) – as such, students in these settings are regularly inhaling harmful particles, including dust, mold spores, bacteria, and more. Over time, poor IAQ can trigger and exacerbate health concerns in students, faculty, and staff alike, especially those having to do with the respiratory system. Feelings of fatigue become common, and rates of sick days tend to rise in these situations, taking a serious toll on learning outcomes.
The Budd Group is well aware of widespread IAQ concerns in education facilities and beyond. That’s why we’ve developed the BreatheWell Program, which combines state-of-the-art IAQ monitoring with HVAC improvements and air filtration/purification installation where it matters most. As a new school year fast approaches, we’re prepared to provide our customers with the resources and protocols necessary for improving IAQ across the board. Here’s how our BreatheWell Program protects students during the back-to-school season and throughout the year.
How Our BreatheWell Program Protects Students
Keeps Tabs on Indoor Pollutants
Trying to manage IAQ at your school without thorough monitoring in place is sort of like trying to navigate in total darkness. If you can’t determine what’s happening in your surroundings, you won’t get very far (you know what to do next, either). IAQ monitoring devices shine a light on the state of your school’s current air quality, detecting and analyzing several key parameters, including carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), temperature, relative humidity, particulate matter (PM2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and more.
The BreatheWell Program makes it easy to keep track of how pure or impure your school’s IAQ is at any given moment, thanks to real-time IAQ monitoring. Gathering this data allows those in charge of facility management to identify trends, spot problem areas, and make necessary adjustments to keep students and all other occupants safe at all times.
Prevents Harmful Particles from Entering Classrooms
Our BreatheWell Program isn’t just about pointing out issues with your school’s IAQ, however. It also actively keeps out problematic particles via state-of-the-art ventilation and filtration. Outdoor allergens like pollen and mold can become major nuisances if allowed inside, causing a range of respiratory problems in those with specific sensitivities. Proper ventilation conditions indoor air, allowing for greater control over temperature and humidity. Meanwhile, air filters block small outdoor particles like pollen and mold spores from entering and lingering in ducts throughout your facility. In tandem, these systems help prevent the occurrence of interior mold accumulation while maintaining a comfortable and safe indoor environment for all. Moreover, BreatheWell’s ventilation and filtration solutions decrease the amount of building cleaning required to keep classrooms free from dust and other particles.
Removes Contaminants from the Air
In addition to keeping contaminants out of classrooms and other interior spaces, to begin with, the BreatheWell Program constantly purifies indoor air whenever unwanted particles make their way inside. In-room air purifiers continuously capture and kill contaminants within a given space to ensure every student enjoys a fresh breathing zone throughout the day. Bacteria, fungi, mold, viruses, and other living impurities as small as 0.1 microns in size don’t stand a chance against the AIRBOX purifiers included in our BreatheWell Program.
Reduces Transmission of Airborne Diseases
As mentioned above, high-quality air purifiers actively eliminate microorganisms, including transmissible, disease-causing viruses. SARS-CoV-2 – the virus responsible for COVID-19 – is one such virus that air purifiers can remove from the equation. Indeed, air disinfection for coronavirus has become a major player in slowing (if not stopping) the spread of COVID-19 in schools upon returning to in-person learning. Of course, COVID-19 is just one of many illnesses that can quickly travel around a school environment. The state-of-the-art air purification system provided in our BreatheWell Program also helps reduce the spread of influenza, common colds, and even MRSA bacteria.
Saves Your School Money
Adopting The Budd Group’s BreatheWell Program also benefits and protects students in less direct ways. Namely installing state-of-the-art IAQ monitoring, ventilation, filtration, and purification systems can greatly reduce your facility’s energy costs over the long run. As mentioned above, preventing harmful particles from lingering in the air cuts back on regular cleaning and maintenance needs. Additionally, the BreatheWell Program is fully integrated, connecting all aspects of IAQ enhancement for simple data collection, analysis, and adjustment – this reduces the need for complex oversight riddled with human error. Plus, all BreatheWell systems are more energy-efficient than older air purification solutions. All of these cost-saving measures free up resources for student activities, boosting morale, productivity, and performance.
Breathe Better for a Safer, More Successful School Year
Students, teachers, and other staffers are gearing up for a new school year. If you’re in charge of overseeing facility maintenance, make sure all occupants return to a space that’s optimized for a safer, healthier, successful semester and beyond. The most effective IAQ improvements are aided by The Budd Group’s BreatheWell Program. We’ve helped many schools in the southeastern U.S. get a better handle on their indoor air quality and maintenance protocols – let us help your school provide the clean air all its occupants deserve.
To learn more about this program and our wide range of services, give us a call today at 800-221-8158!