SAN DIEGO, CA -- With indoor air quality more essential than ever with the infectious COVID-19 still active worldwide, eradicating the virus while it's airborne is crucial to mitigating its transmission.
Energy Cloud, a clean-tech company specializing in healthy buildings and energy efficient environments has invented what it believes is a solution, with its hummingbird™ EQ, an air purification system that captures and deactivates airborne COVID-19 virus.
The hummingbird EQ with Air Vaccine technology was independently tested by a distinguished team of epidemiologists and professional engineers assembled by Black & Veatch – a global infrastructure leader vastly experienced in pathogen-tracking methods and construction of biological safety-related sites.
Hummingbird EQ was proven to capture and deactivate the airborne COVID-19 virus on the first airflow pass through the system by 99.5% or greater, reducing it to undetectable levels.
In what was described as the most comprehensive bio-aerosol study of its kind, hummingbird™ EQ was tested by simulating a real-life airflow scenario, complete with ducting, coil and an air handler / forced air unit.
John Carrieri, CEO of Energy Cloud, Inc., told Contracting Business the hummingbird™ AI part of the system had been developed prior to the pandemic, while the rest of different aspects of the system have been developed over two years.
"The COVID-19 specific testing took over 10 months from the time we developed the new HVAC bio-aerosol testing machine, to five full months of testing in bio-containment at the BSL Level 3 bio-safety lab," Carrieri
hummingbird™ does not release or produce any airborne chemicals as part of its inactivation of viruses.
Testing also was performed with all Hummingbird models, confirming that they all deactivate COVID- 19 with no harmful ozone being produced.
Unlike other air purification systems, Hummingbird does not release or produce any airborne chemicals as part of its inactivation of viruses.
Manufacturer Agnostic
The hummingbird™ can be installed and scaled to any size heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system or used as a stand-alone unit in all types of commercial and residential settings including hospitals, schools, supermarkets, hotels, airports, offices, homes and more, for superior air quality in any sized indoor environment.
"Our system is completely manufacture agnostic and can be installed in the return vents of any HVAC system. That said, we are talking with a major manufacturer to integrate the unit into the mixing box for some brand new units for installation in a new facility. I would expect we will see additional collaborations like this," Carrieri said.
Carrieri said the overall efficacy of hummingbird™ is due to the fact that it is a multi-layered technology solution.
"Our system is a multi-layered and multi-technology solution which does not just purify the air but help manage the whole HVAC system. Our service mark for
Hummingbird EQ is unique beyond its virus efficacy as it includes:
- Air purification technology that decomposes VOCs and reduces bacteria, microbes, pollen, dust, dander, allergens, spores, fungi, mold, odors, smoke and toxic fumes without producing any harmful ozone or biproducts.
- HVAC remote management with Hummingbird EQ AI technology allows cloud-enabled remote monitoring and management of HVAC systems, saving energy by providing real-time insight to equipment operation and efficiency.
- Indoor air quality monitoring with real-time air quality information for customers, employees and property owners, for all stakeholders to see the building air quality through Energy Cloud's air certification.
The information can be seen through a QR Code displayed on the buildings outside doors and windows as well as web URL links that can be viewed on any computer or smart device. Building owners who invest in having the best air quality for their buildings and business can show proof of their air quality with the QR code and unique URL provided for each building.
Worldwide Distribution
Carrieri said Energy Cloud has established national and international distribution for hummingbird, with many new distributors joining in, "including those that recognize that hummingbird™ is more effective than their existing ionization products that they had been selling," he added.
Funding for the development of the product was provided in partnership with Black & Veatch's IgniteX COVID-19 Response Accelerator.
SARS-CoV-2 BSL-3 resources were supported by a grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation's COVID-19 research fund.