Clean Air Day is co-ordinated by environmental charity Global Action Plan and aims to raise awareness of the risks of air pollution and the simple things everyone can do to improve their air quality and health.

One thing households can do to help improve indoor air quality and their health is to check whether the air filters in their ventilation systems need cleaning or changing.

Many households in new build properties may be unaware that their whole house ventilation systems, such as mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), have filters that need to be checked every three or six months, cleaned regularly and replaced twice a year.

The purpose of an MVHR filter is to filter out microscopic particles like PM2.5 (including fine diesel particulates) dust and pollen so they are not brought into the home from outside. However, a dirty blocked filter can recirculate these particles into the home, adversely affecting indoor air quality (IAQ). Dirty filters can also affect the efficiency of the ventilation system which affects its effectiveness.

Jenny Smith, head of marketing at Vent-Axia, said: “We are pleased to support Clean Air Day as it continues to raise awareness of the importance of clean air, particularly indoor air quality, and how everyone can make changes to improve their IAQ and their health. Poor indoor air quality is responsible for around 99,000 deaths in Europe every year – the equivalent of one death every six minutes.

“To help improve indoor air quality, this year for Clean Air Day we are encouraging households to check their ventilation filters. It is very simple to check and change a filter, only taking a couple of minutes, but it will help improve air quality in the home and help your ventilation run more efficiently. At Vent-Axia we are committed to sharing our knowledge of how ventilation can help protect public health.”

The purpose of Clean Air Day is to increase understanding of the risks and educate everyone on how to reduce air pollution and improve IAQ. In the past, the focus was on outdoor air pollution, but Clean Air Day aims to highlight the devastating health impacts of poor IAQ too.

65 per cent of homes in the UK suffer from poor IAQ as a result of inadequate ventilation. Poor air quality is proven to negatively impact on everyone’s health, increasing the risk of serious illnesses and making existing conditions, like respiratory disorders, worse. 

In January this year, the government’s Clean Air Strategy set out how the UK aims to tackle all sources of air pollution, with IAQ a key part of this. This strategy followed on from a number of reports and documents outlining the importance of good IAQ and the risks associated with indoor air pollution.

The Government White Paper Building our Future: Laying the Foundations for Healthy Homes and Buildings, published in October 2018, reported that poor IAQ costs the UK over 204,000 healthy life years, with 45 per cent of those lost to cardiovascular diseases, 23 per cent to asthma and allergy and 15 per cent to lung cancer.

In 2016, the Royal College of Physicians warned that indoor air pollutants cause, at a minimum, thousands of deaths per year and are associated with healthcare costs in the order of ‘tens of millions of pounds’. 

To help protect health in the home, Vent-Axia has been working to provide ventilation solutions which improve IAQ for households. For new build homes, Vent-Axia’s Sentinel Kinetic mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) system boasts 94 per cent heat recovery.

A vital part of an MVHR system is its filters. Inside an MVHR unit, fresh incoming air passes through a filter to remove pollen, debris and products of pollution. Filters up to ISO ePM2.5 70 per cent (F7 grade) ensure even homes in heavily urbanised areas can filter out most impurities, up to and including PM2.5 particles, for example diesel particulates.

To ensure MVHR systems run efficiently and effectively, Vent-Axia also offers ventilation servicing to maintain the systems and check and replace filters as needed.

For private refurbishments, Vent-Axia’s new PureAir Sense is equipped with a pioneering odour sensor that increases airflow when the air is poor, helping ensure a comfortable living environment. Meanwhile the Lo-Carbon Revive has been designed specifically with social housing in mind offering an effective continuous ventilation solution for residents. 

As well as urging households to check their filters for Clean Air Day, Vent-Axia is also supporting the initiative by asking its staff to leave their cars at home on June 20 to help reduce air pollution on the day.