“The focus of the national demonstration program is to showcase building practices and products that assure healthy indoor air quality,” notes John Coghlan, president of Beam Industries which provided the central vacuum system installed in the new demonstration home. “Keeping a house clean by removing as much dust and allergens as possible is critical to assuring a healthy home.”

The demonstration house was designed by Chuck Knight, managing principal of Perkins and Will, an architectural firm that specializes in institutional architecture. Knight’s family, which includes an asthmatic daughter, will move into the home in October.

The Beam Serenity Series Central Vacuum System in the demonstration house is from the same product line as the systems used in a recent clinical study conducted by the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the University of California-Davis.

Allergic rhinitis patients in the six-month study reported significant improvement in all seven major symptoms during the three months they used a central vacuum system compared to three months when they used a conventional vacuum, notes Dr. Stan Naguwa, the study’s lead investigator. Patients reported significant improvement in eye, nasal, non-nasal, sleep, and emotional symptoms, when they used the central vacuum. They also experienced fewer practical problems and were more active.

John Vandermyde, president of J.J. Vanderson & Co., St. Paul., which installed the central vacuum system in the demonstration house, says the suction power of a central vacuum system is up to five times greater than a conventional vacuum. It captures far more dust, dirt and allergens and completely removes them from the living area of the home. The Beam Serenity Series power unit installed in the Health House demonstration home’s basement and vented to the outside assures that all of the vacuumed material is removed completely from the living area of the home, he says.

Although the focus of the national demonstration home is on new construction, Coghlan notes that a central vacuum system can be installed in 95 percent of existing homes. Installing dealers typically can retrofit a home within a few hours.

Headquartered in Webster City, Iowa, Beam Industries is the world’s leading manufacturer and marketer of central vacuum systems. Beam products are sold in more than 45 countries around the world.
For more information about the University of California study, or to locate a Beam dealer, visit Beam’s Web site at www.beamvac.com.

For more information about the ALA’s Health House standards, visit www.healthhouse.org