If there’s one thing that connects residential and commercial AV integrators, it’s the search for new profit centers, and new ways to add to the bottom line. On the CE Pro website, Julie Jacobson recently talked about one such area: Indoor Air Quality, or IAQ. This is probably an area you’ve never thought about—especially as an additional money-maker. In her piece, which you can read here, Julie quotes Jon Fischer, HVAC automation sales manager for Aprilaire: “Obviously indoor air quality is nothing sexy like 4K TV,” he says. “It’s only the air we breathe.”

While Julie’s main talking points on IAQ revolve around air filtration, ventilation, humidity, and circulation, there are other contributors to Indoor Air Quality with which Draper can help.

For instance, if you are planning to include window treatments in your home, you may be introducing some not-so-savory chemicals, called Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), into the air. It’s called off-gassing, and it has been a growing concern for a number of years.

It’s important to consider VOCs—especially if there are kids in the house—because they can really impact those with asthma and allergies, sensitivities generally, and even people with unexplained illnesses.

Draper’s window shades are offered with many fabric options certified to have extremely low chemical and particle emissions. We were one of the first shade manufacturers to offer our products with fabrics that met GreenGuard and GreenGuard for Children for Schools certifications for the off-gassing of VOCs. This certification has since been taken over by UL, and the most stringent standard—Children and Schools—is now called GREENGUARD Gold. Draper provides hundreds of color and openness combinations that meet the GREENGUARD Gold certification—the toughest IAQ/off-gassing standard on the market.

We also offer several PVC-free shade fabrics, including Phifer fabrics that are made with DOW ECOLIBRIUM™, a bio-based plasticizer. We even have shades with Microban antimicrobial protection, which inhibits the growth of stain-causing bacteria, mold, and mildew for the life of the shade.

Projection screens are another source of off-gassing of VOCs. Draper was the first manufacturer of projection screens to receive GreenGuard Certification for projection screen fabrics. Draper’s Matt White XT1000E and XT1000V, Grey XH600V, and Contrast Grey XH800E front projection viewing surfaces are periodically tested to insure they meet the most stringent indoor air quality standards on the market.

The cases and headboxes for many of our screens and shades are also good for Indoor Air Quality. Instead of using a wet paint process, we powder coat most of our cases and frames. The powder coating process does not use a liquid carrier fluid or solvent. Without this fluid to evaporate, fewer VOCs are emitted in this process.

If you’d like to learn more about how our shades and even screens can help you make Indoor Air Quality another weapon in your integration arsenal, drop my an email at amadden@draperinc.com and let’s talk!