While MERV ratings measure particle capture efficiency, they fail to reflect the full performance of commercial air filters, including pressure drop, lifespan, and lifecycle cost impacts. Camfil Canada has released a comprehensive guide examining why MERV ratings alone provide insufficient criteria for commercial air filter selection and how total cost of ownership analysis delivers superior long-term value.
Please review the source on the Camfil Canada Blog: Beyond Just MERV: A Strategic Guide to Selecting the Best Commercial Filters for Optimal HVAC Performance and Lower TCO
The guide addresses the limitations of focusing solely on MERV ratings for filter procurement. The analysis demonstrates how filters with the lowest average pressure drop and highest dust-holding capacity can significantly reduce HVAC energy and maintenance costs over time.
Three critical metrics determine true filter performance:
- Initial pressure drop measures resistance when a filter is new.
- Final pressure drop occurs when a filter reaches the end of its service life.
- Average pressure drop represents performance over the entire lifespan.
Average pressure drop directly impacts fan energy consumption, which accounts for a significant portion of total lifecycle costs. Filters engineered with low average pressure drop reduce energy requirements throughout their service life.
Dust-holding capacity determines filter longevity. Higher capacity filters last longer, require fewer changeouts, reduce labour costs, and decrease waste disposal expenses. Features including improved pleat design, dual-layer media, and robust structural components maintain pleat integrity under harsh conditions and extend service life.
ASHRAE Standard 52.2-2017 provides standardized laboratory testing methods for measuring filter efficiency across specific particle sizes using the MERV rating system. This standard allows reliable filter comparisons, targeted selection based on real-world contaminants, and verification that performance meets minimum requirements. Filters tested under this standard receive MERV "A" ratings, indicating true efficiency without electrostatic enhancement. The standard covers particles including PM1 and PM2.5, particles that cause significant damage to human health and equipment.
Poor indoor air quality creates multiple risks including employee and customer discomfort, reduced engagement and wellbeing, staff absences from health issues, non-compliance with building standards, reduced rental income, reputational damage, and product liability in food, beverage, and pharmaceutical production. High-quality filters, such as the 30/30 Dual 9 and the Absolute VG, mitigate these risks.
Documented cost savings include two weeks of labour reduction from fewer filter changeouts due to higher dust-holding capacity, and up to 50% savings on disposal costs by switching to longer-lasting filters.
Camfil provides life cycle analysis using advanced software to project cost savings across commercial air filtration sectors. Services include engineering site assessments, pressure drop data analysis, and custom solutions for commercial buildings, food and beverage facilities, life sciences and healthcare operations, data centres, warehouses, manufacturing plants, and energy production sites.
The complete strategic guide is available at: https://cleanair.camfil.ca/beyond-just-merv-a-strategic-guide-to-selecting-the-best-commercial-filters-for-optimal-hvac-performance-and-lower-tco/
About Camfil Canada Clean Air Solutions
For more than 60 years, Camfil has been helping people breathe cleaner air. As a leading manufacturer of premium clean air solutions, Camfil provides commercial and industrial systems for air filtration and air pollution control that enhance worker and equipment productivity, reduce energy consumption, and benefit both human health and the environment.
Media Contact: Phillip Ilijevski Camfil Canada Inc. Tel: 905-660-0688
