December 18, 2020: Better Office Filtration

Back towards the end of summer, our Accounting Manager, Lisa, and I had a conversation about how we might better protect our staff against the spread of COVID, as well as various seasonal bugs or allergens. Were there any better filters, schedules for our NEST thermostats that could increase air circulation, or other active devices we could implement at a reasonable cost?

Upon further investigation, at the recommendation of our long-time HVAC maintenance company, I came across the Reme-Halo. It's a pretty simple device that gets added onto our existing HVAC fan shrouds. It not only provides some UV sterilization of the air that flows over it, but also distributes positively and negatively charged ions throughout the office. These ions cause smaller particles that could irritate or cause allergic reactions to clump together and become easier for the filters to catch. Additionally, the devices put out hydrogen peroxide molecules that actually kill off coronavirus! Perfect!!!

In November, we installed two Reme-Halo LED UV sterilization devices and programmed our NEST thermostats to run more frequently and for longer duration. We now circulate all the air in our office some 4-5 times a day. When we do come back into the office full time, we will do so in a much healthier environment.

These Reme-Halo are reasonably priced upgrades usable in home HVAC systems also, so if you or your family suffer from seasonal allergies, you might look into these gems too.

Here are a couple of videos we used in evaluating our options to keep our staff safe and reduce allergens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa3nomhaDqY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tgmi-NzPwE

-- Eric Dow