Breathe Easy Illinois is here!

SMACNA Greater Chicago, Local 73 and Local 265 are excited to announce the launch of Breathe Easy Illinois. This labor-management cooperative features today’s most advanced solutions designed to help improve indoor air quality (IAQ) now and beyond the pandemic.

During 2020, the need to create healthy buildings became more important than ever. Now, improving occupant health and wellness is no longer a value-added option — it’s a necessity. The creation of this industry leading program fills an important need within our communities and translates well across both commercial and residential markets.

“A casual meeting sparked the idea for this program, and kind of snowballed from there,” said Tony Adolfs, SMACNA Greater Chicago Executive Vice President. “We currently have 47 Local 73 and Local 265 contractors who have officially signed up to participate, with more requests rolling in every day. Our members have the best-trained workforce to install and maintain today’s most reliable IAQ solutions, and we’re proud to take the lead in our industry with the launch of Breathe Easy Illinois.”

Through extensive industry research and testing, we know that HVAC systems equipped with MERV 13 and higher-grade filters, installing UV-C and bipolar ionization technologies, utilizing more outdoor air and controlling humidity are all solutions we can offer customers for increased safety and peace of mind. These are the solutions Breathe Easy Illinois promotes to facility managers, building engineers, building owners and residential homeowners throughout the greater Chicago area.

Here’s how it works: If a building owner was interested in installing MERV 13+ filtration, UV-C or bipolar ionization, a test and balance company would first perform a comprehensive IAQ check. After measuring the total flow of the air handler, the number of air changes per hour and checking things like temperature, humidity and CO2 levels, a preferred Breathe Easy Illinois contractor would make a professional recommendation of the best solution to fit that specific facility’s needs. Most solutions can be installed in a day or two (with a few exceptions), and cost and maintenance are relatively minimal.

“How can you put a price tag on health? That’s how I look at it,” said Leo Thier, Local 73 JATC instructor. “For a one-time payment, you get peace of mind and literally a measurable difference in your airflow quality. There’s no comparison. These products in particular are guaranteed by the manufacturers and are proven to make a difference.”

The advertising phase of the Breathe Easy Illinois campaign will position participating members and signatory contractors as the FIRST contractors called to do the job — helping buildings reopen safely and keeping existing buildings and homes operating safely. Resources and sales tools are currently in development and available to participating members upon request.