Installing an IAQ monitor or ventilation system does not guarantee a healthy home. The equipment must operate correctly, the right pollutants must be measured, and ventilation must be coordinated with humidity, filtration, HVAC operation and outdoor conditions.
That is the foundation of Sendal’s Breathe service—and recent independent research supports this more comprehensive approach.
A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Florida Solar Energy Center study examined ventilation in 51 newer homes across Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Only 41% of systems could meet the applicable ASHRAE airflow requirement. Just 21% were operating when researchers arrived.
Operating ventilation reduced CO₂ and radon, but did not produce discernible reductions in PM2.5 or formaldehyde. The study demonstrates two important realities: equipment must be verified after installation, and ventilation alone cannot address every pollutant.
Breathe continually monitors connected equipment, sensor information, runtime and indoor conditions. It helps homeowners and contractors determine whether ventilation, dehumidification, filtration and HVAC systems are available and responding as intended.
CO₂ primarily reflects occupancy and ventilation. It does not reliably identify cooking particles, smoke, outdoor pollution or many household chemicals.
The 2025 In2Air study found little or no correlation between CO₂ and PM2.5 in occupied homes. CO₂ levels could appear acceptable while particle concentrations remained elevated. A separate 2026 scientific review emphasized that IAQ sensors can transform building monitoring, but only when their placement, accuracy and limitations are properly managed.
Breathe evaluates multiple conditions—including CO₂, particulate matter, VOCs, humidity, temperature, radon, occupancy and outdoor air quality—to determine what is happening and which response is appropriate.
A monitor provides a reading. Breathe turns readings into coordinated action.
Pollutants do not begin everywhere at once. Cooking particles originate in the kitchen. Moisture begins in bathrooms, kitchens and laundry areas. CO₂ can accumulate in occupied bedrooms. Outdoor smoke enters through ventilation, infiltration and open windows.
Recent residential-kitchen research found that responding during cooking materially reduced acute PM2.5 exposure. This supports event-based source control rather than waiting for pollutants to spread throughout the home.
Breathe can initiate local exhaust, whole-home ventilation, circulation, or filtration in response to cooking.
A 2026 study analyzed 509 paired indoor and outdoor monitors across U.S. homes during wildfire-smoke events. The protection provided by each home varied considerably based on filtration, ventilation, building characteristics and occupant behavior.
When outdoor air is clean, ventilation can dilute indoor pollutants. When outdoor PM2.5, ozone, temperature or humidity is excessive, increased ventilation can make indoor conditions worse.
Another study found that filtered positive-pressure ventilation reduced indoor PM2.5 by 38% to 62% in 24 New Zealand homes. The result reinforces the value of intentional, filtered air delivery—but also shows that performance depends on the system, building and outdoor conditions.
Breathe evaluates indoor and outdoor air together. It can reduce outside-air delivery when conditions are unfavorable, emphasize filtration and circulation, and resume ventilation when outdoor air offers a net benefit.
Efficient homes can have low cooling loads while still producing substantial moisture. The air conditioner may satisfy the temperature setting before removing enough humidity, especially during mild or part-load conditions.
U.S. Department of Energy research found that humidity performance improved when compressor operation, airflow and ventilation were deliberately coordinated. This closely reflects Breathe’s approach.
Rather than relying on overcooling, Breathe coordinates ventilation, HVAC fan operation and dehumidification to maintain comfortable, appropriately dry conditions. This helps avoid the common “cold and clammy” result of using temperature alone to manage humidity.
ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2025 reflects this broader industry shift. It increased filtration requirements from MERV 6 to MERV 11 and introduced an optional Indoor Air Quality Procedure that recognizes filtration, source control and measured IAQ alongside outdoor-air ventilation.
Residential research has also associated improved ventilation with better IAQ and asthma outcomes. A recent state-of-the-art review concluded that well-designed intelligent ventilation can reduce ventilation-related energy use while maintaining IAQ—but warned that poor controls can increase energy consumption or compromise air quality.
Breathe represents an industry-leading approach because it brings together capabilities that are usually fragmented across separate products:
A sensor can detect a condition. HVAC equipment can move, filter or dry the air. Breathe enables these systems to work together as an intelligent healthy-home service.
