A city building project has become the first project to earn a LEED green building credit from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) for its use of germicidal ultraviolet (UVC) light in air handlers.
Sammamish Commons, WA comprises a police station, city hall, and other office spaces. Notkin Mechanical Engineers, Seattle, WA was the mechanical engineer for the project.
Notkin Mechanical installed UVC Emitters by Steril-Aire, Inc. Burbank,CA, downstream of the cooling coils to improve indoor air quality and reduce energy and maintenance costs.
Notkin project engineer Darren Schwend, PE, pointed to studies that prove the germ-killing benefits of UVC light as a step towards LEED approval.
"Several studies have shown UVC light systems to be an effective and cost-efficient way to address both IAQ and operational issues," Schwend says. "It was very important to reduce the risk of human exposure to microorganisms that can potentially occur in public buildings," in the project.
Visit www.steril-aire.com for additional information.