Great Article About Indoor Air Quality

House bill gives facilities tax breaks for improving IAQ

We’re finally seeing potential federal legislation that incentivizes real IAQ improvements — with measurable standards and financial backing.

The House bill highlighted in Facilities Dive would provide tax credits for IAQ assessments and upgrades — and the inclusion of ASHRAE 241 shows how far the industry has progressed. Moving beyond minimum ventilation toward pathogen mitigation reflects years of advocacy across facilities, engineering, and public health.

As a member of the National Council on School Facilities (NCSF), I met with Senator Brian Fitzpatrick last December in DC!

Momentum matters

But here’s the real question: How do schools execute?

For public schools, these tax credits can shift projects from energy-focused to health-focused — something Smart Air Defense’s Energy Savings as a Service (ESaaS) platform already prioritizes. If this bill passes, ESaaS can expand IAQ impact even further.

Yes, energy performance contracts (EPCs) can help. But because EPCs must guarantee savings, flexibility is limited. ESaaS structures can widen scope because:
✅ Maintenance, repair, and performance risk shift to the provider
✅ Maintenance costs are capped (often up to 20 years)
✅ Capex converts to predictable opex
✅ IAQ, efficiency, controls, and modernization are bundled
✅ Ongoing performance is contractually required

For schools, that’s transformative

Educators should focus on students — not long-term infrastructure risk.

Strong in-house facility teams remain essential, serving as liaisons to vetted contractors under the ESaaS agreement. In some districts, qualified staff can even perform maintenance, with costs reimbursed by the provider — lowering expenses further.

The result?
🔹 No surprise repair costs
🔹 Built-in accountability
🔹 Healthier buildings
🔹 Long-term budget certainty

Tax incentives are powerful. Pairing this legislation with ESaaS could help schools — especially under-resourced ones — move from compliance to true transformation.

This isn’t just about HVAC.
It’s about protecting students and modernizing schools without burdening taxpayers.

Special thanks to ActionNetwork.org for helping to add ASHRAE 241 to this new version of the bill!