The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers has created the only standard, certified performance measurement of air cleaners with the CADR, or clean air delivery rate.
The rating label usually appears on the back of an air cleaner’s box. Based on the square footage of a room, the CADR will give you reduction rates for tobacco smoke, dust and pollen. The higher the number, the more effective the cleaner.
“It could be a welcome evaluation tool to make product selection decisions,” says Vernon McKowan, president of sales for Ideal Homes in Norman, Okla. “As a builder, you can’t always take the lowest-price approach; you’ve got to look at how a product performs. Because we’re very concerned about indoor air quality, anything we can use to better evaluate a product is helpful.”
Only air cleaners from AHAM-certified manufacturers have a CADR. Visit www.cadr.org for more information.
