LG HVAC IAQ Solutions:
For the Fresh Air You Breathe

As discussed in the first part of this 2-part series, IAQ has become an important issue in recent years, and many factors contribute to IAQ. Efforts need to be made to improve IAQ, and the COVID-19 pandemic has helped bring this issue to the forefront. In the second installment of this series, the HVAC solutions that make effective IAQ management possible will be given an in-depth look. These solutions can ensure that our living and working environments are safer and healthier for occupants. LG HVAC solutions provide comprehensive IAQ management for all types of environments.

In general, the four primary ways to improve indoor air quality are ventilation, filtration, hygiene technology, and proper temperature and humidity management. Implementing these methods altogether in harmony is essential for the practical improvement of IAQ.

Airflow control and ventilation are crucial in mitigating the risk of infection by small airborne particles. Although air purification helps filter particles from the air, ventilation is important in introducing fresh air indoors. Ventilation can also remove other harmful substances that are difficult to eliminate with filtration. To improve IAQ, active methods such as ventilation should be implemented along with passive IAQ improvement measures such as filtration.

• ERV (Commercial and Residential)

Natural ventilation can be attributed to large amounts of heat energy loss. Energy Recovery Ventilation systems provide fresh air indoors while reducing this energy loss as the heat exchanger within ERV collects the energy. In addition to the heat exchanger, LG ERV’s differentiated functions such as CO₂ Auto Operation, Night Time Free Cooling, Automated Seasonal Operation, and Suspended Operation make it more energy-efficient.

Furthermore, LG ERV DX has humidification, pre-cooling and heating functions, making it a good match for spaces where you need both temperature and humidity control. Humidity can also be monitored through the wired remote control. With heat recovery, LG ERV can save 24% of energy, and when other various functions operate together, even more energy can be saved.*

LG ERV systems are available for both commercial and residential applications, and both of commercial and residential LG ERV products are equipped with high-efficiency filters**. Residential ERV is applied with UVnano technology for hygiene indoor environment.

*Based on an LGE internal simulation of an LG air conditioner and LG ERV operating together, the heat exchanger saves up to 24% more energy than natural ventilation and works with other LG ERV features to provide more energy savings. Results may vary depending on the environment. Simulation Conditions: Based on ERV (1,000CMH) + Multi V 5 (12hp) / 455m2 office space, Cooling 26℃ / heating 21℃, e Quest 3.65 / Daily operation in winter conditions.

**High-efficiency filter (ISO-rated filter) for the commercial ERV is optional.

• FAU

A Fresh Air Intake Unit (FAU) is another solution for ventilation that works in conjunction with an HVAC system to deliver fresh air to indoor spaces while simultaneously heating and cooling these indoor environments. This type of system can also be configured to maintain positive pressure in an individual space to prevent contaminated air from outdoors or another area in a building. An FAU system does not, however, have heat exchange functionality and is only available for supply ventilation. LG’s FAU is applied with a pre-filter to capture large particles.

• DOAS

LG Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS) units bring 100% fresh outdoor air indoors to improve air quality.

LG DOAS recovers heat in the energy recovery wheel and then once more in the recovery coil. With LG’s unique double heat recovery feature, LG DOAS consumes less energy.

The DOAS filters outdoor air with the standard filters from MERV 8 to MERV 14 ensuring that quality air is introduced indoors. Furthermore, A DOAS system does not spread infected or polluted air through ducts into different building areas. Integrated system configurations such as DOAS + VRF help reduce infection spread and energy consumption.

In spaces where ventilation is difficult or insufficient, it is important to quickly remove contaminants by circulating air through a high-performance filter applied to an air purifier or air conditioner system.

• Air Purifiers

Dedicated air purifiers are an effective method of delivering clean air, especially for residential applications. LG offers various models of its PuriCare air purifiers including the PuriCare 360°. With 360° air purification and HEPA filters, it thoroughly captures the fine dust and refreshes the air across large areas*. The air purifier effortlessly pushes filtered airflow up to a distance of 7.5 meters via the Clean Booster which when powered on, rises and rotates to distribute filtered air throughout the entire room. For industrial or commercial applications, LG provides its commercial air purifier that can easily cover interiors of up to 158 square meters.** Perfect for large workspaces, lounges, conference rooms, and cafeterias, this impressive workhorse utilizes two powerful fans to quickly and consistently deliver clean air up to a distance of 12 meters.***

*Tested by LG internal lab in an enclosed area of 259m3 (9.8 x 9.8 x 2.7m) using PuriCare 360° (model AS309DWA) with Clean Booster turned on, measuring the speed of the air at height of 1.5m and distance of 7.5m.

**Tested by LG internal lab and CA (Korea Air Cleaning Association) in an enclosed area of 30m3 using Commercial PuriCare (model AS488BWA) on High Speed Mode based on CA testing methods (SPS-KACA 002-132). Results may vary depending on environmental conditions and other external factors.

***Tested by LG internal lab in an enclosed area of 128m3 (1.7 x 29.0 x 2.6m) using Commercial PuriCare (model AS488BWA), measuring the speed of the air at height of 2.4m and distance of 15.55m. Results may differ depending on external conditions.

• Indoor Units with Air Purification

LG indoor units with air purification can quickly and effectively purify the air while providing efficient climate control. LG wall mounted units, cassettes and ducted systems can all be fitted with air purification technology. Technologies such as dust electrification, HEPA filters, PM 1.0 filters, deodorizing filters, UVnano, or ionizers are implemented in LG HVAC systems for IAQ management and air quality can be monitored in real-time. The combination of air purification technologies varies depending on the product. In addition to this, since the inside of an air purification system also needs to be hygienic, technology to suppress the formation of mold is also applied to internal components.

• Wall Mounted Units

LG wall mounted units such as the DUALCOOL and ARTCOOL come with the AirCare Complete System that ensures clean, purified air with multi-step filtration, and employs LG’s UVnano™ technology and Auto Cleaning to keep their insides clean at the same time. UVnano technology can maintain hygienic conditions by eliminating up to 99.99%* of bacteria from the fan. A Plasmaster Ionizer reduces harmful microscopic particles in the air that can stick to clothing or furniture. Finally, the LG Auto Cleaning function dries the heat exchanger to prevent mold and bacteria from forming.

*TUV has verified that 99.99% of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermids, and Klebsiella pneumoniae were removed from the the air conditioner blower fan after being ewposed to 4 hours of UV LED lights.

• Cassettes

LG cassette units like 1-way cassettes, 4-way cassettes and the Round Cassette can be equipped with the LG Air Purification Kit. The LG Air Purification Kit has been certified by TÜV to remove PM 1.0 fine dust and eliminate viruses and bacteria from the air up to 99.9%.* Through dust electrification, the electrostatic force of the smaller particles is increased improving dust collection efficiency. The Air Purification Kit also has an ionizer implemented to remove adhering bacteria. Maintenance and upkeep of the Air Purification Kit is more convenient with filters that can be easily washed without the need for completely replacing filters, resulting in filter costs savings.

*The airborne bacteria removal performance was tested by TUV Rheinland by injecting Staphylococcus epidermidis (1×105 CFU) in a contained area of 60 m³ and kept the appliance (Model number PAH-TAP0MW) running for sixty (60) minutes, and the result was 99.9% reduction. The results may vary depending on the environment. (TÜV reference no. 60382341 001)

The airborne virus removal performance was tested by TUV Rheinland by injecting Phi-X174 virus in a contained area of 60 m³ and kept the appliance (Model number PAH-TAP0MW) running for thirty (30) minutes, and the result was 99.9% reduction. The results may vary depending on the environment. (TÜV reference no. 60375745 001)

• Ducted Systems

Ducted systems also require air purification to ensure healthy indoor air. The LG UVnano Filter Box can be applied to ducted systems. The UVnano Filter Box has pre-filter and the high-rated MERV standard filtration (ISO 16890 standard ePM1 65%) for the collection of particles 0.3 -1μm in size. UVnano technology with UVC light eradicates viruses and bacteria captured on the pre-filter to create an even more hygienic indoor environment.

• Air Purification Monitoring and Control

Air quality can be monitored through the product's led lamp, controller, and ThinQ application. LG’s comprehensive control systems provide an additional level of air purification power by making system control more convenient and more thorough. With both individual unit control and extensive system-wide control, LG control solutions cover a wide range of applications and environments.

Hygiene technologies are applied to HVAC products to further improve the quality of air from indoor units. These technologies are being implemented more commonly into HVAC systems.

• Ionizers

The plasma ion from ionizers suppresses and deactivates bacteria and viruses in the room and keeps the air clean. The active hydrogen and the oxygen ions are released into the air to deactivate bacteria and viruses and neutralize Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). The LG Plasmaster Ionizer is found in products like the LG DUALCOOL wall mounted unit and cassette air purification kit that helps eliminate VOCs and deliver healthier air.

• UVGI

In simple terms, ultraviolet light is shown to reduce the number of viruses or bacteria on surfaces. Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI) is electromagnetic radiation implemented in LG UVnano technology that can destroy the ability of microorganisms to reproduce by causing photochemical changes in nucleic acids. As discussed above, UVnano technology is applied to a range of wall mounted units, ducted systems and ERV systems. In ducted systems, LG UV LEDs project UVC (or ultraviolet type C) beams of light on the pre-filter and disinfect it. These LEDs are tilted with an angle to shoot in the direction of the pre-filter, which is placed in front of the MERV-13 filter to break down the DNA and RNA of bacteria and viruses that collect on the pre-filter. This TÜV certified technology is shown to be 99.99%* effective.

*[Source] https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/uv-lights-and-lamps-ultraviolet-c-radiation-disinfection-and-coronavirus

* UVnano™ is a compound word derived from the words UV and its unit nanometer. Based on TÜV Rheinland test conducted according to LG test method in compliance with ISO 20743 : 2007 removing 99.99 of percent of Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis,and Klebsiella pneumoniae from the air conditioner blower fan after being exposed to UV LED lights for 4 hours (tested models : PBM13M1UA, PBM13M2UA, PBM13M3UA). The result value is measured at a specific point set in the experiment. This result may differ in actual use conditions of the air conditioning system.

Effective control of temperature and humidity is vital for maintaining optimal indoor environments and LG has a diverse lineup of energy saving HVAC solutions. These HVAC solutions are designed for seamless integration with the ventilation, air purification and filtering solutions discussed above.

LG is committed to providing products that ensure healthier environments. While the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for effective IAQ management, there are many other scenarios where we can benefit from cleaner indoor air. IAQ has clearly moved to the forefront as a necessary health issue, and LG is here to ensure customers are comfortable and healthy. Click on the button below to download the LG IAQ white paper.