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Photos: New Research is a Breath of Fresh Air for Heating and Air Conditioning Units

PR Newswire, July 22, 2009

Antimicrobial components being tested for increased efficiency and odor prevention

NEW YORK, July 22 /PRNewswire/ — If you turn on your car air conditioner on a hot summer day and are overwhelmed by the smell of mildew, it is because mold is growing in the air conditioner unit. The same phenomenon occurs on a larger scale in the floor furnace heating and air conditioning (HVAC) units of buildings. HVAC units provide dark, moist environments — perfect breeding grounds for the bacteria and fungi that are associated with foul odors and decreased efficiency. To combat this phenomenon, the U.S. Department of Defense is funding research into antimicrobial copper components that can control the growth of organisms that grow in HVAC units. The units are installed at the military barracks at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC.

To view the Multimedia News Release, go to: http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/copper/39264

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090722/NY50158 )

Charles Feigley, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of South Carolina, and principal investigator for the study, explained the need for this research, “Improvements in building and construction methods have generally led to increased energy efficiency, but at the same time, these ‘tighter’ building envelopes tend to trap bacteria, leading to odors. The results of this real-world trial should encourage advancements in the design of HVAC systems.”

The Ft. Jackson trial is comparing the ability of antimicrobial copper HVAC components with the more commonly used aluminum components in controlling the growth of odor-causing bacteria and fungi in HVAC units