Our mission is to bring clean air to the world with the goal of eliminating preventable disease, distress, and suffering around the world that is caused by poor indoor air quality.
CleanAir.ai’s solution, ALVI, is a smart HVAC air filter that captures and kills viruses and microscopic contaminants that others can’t while saving you money on energy and replacement filters.
ALVI:
- Captures and kills what others can’t
- Reduce energy consumption by up to 10 per cent
- Reduce filter changes by more than 50 per cent
- Keeps your employees and customers safe, happy, and thriving
Tell us about yourself?
B.Eng (McMaster 2011), P.Eng, MBA (Rotman 2018), Founder, DRAM Innovations 2012.
Going through school and into my career as a mechanical engineer, I’ve developed an intrinsic desire to leave a meaningful impact on the world. I started to use my skills to develop sustainable technologies. The first technology was a fuel nozzle that doesn’t trip once you have finished pumping gas. It was featured on a special energy innovation episode of Dragons Den and placed second across Canada.
If you could go back in time a year or two, what piece of advice would you give yourself?
Going back in time, my advice to myself would be to follow your heart and your instincts. Don’t be afraid to have the tough conversations that need to be had, even if it means feeling very uncomfortable – these are often opportunities for growth. Remember, team and people are the strongest assets that you have. Once the team is aligned, you can do almost anything.
What problem does your business solve?
Traditional air filters in the market today fail to capture microparticulate smaller than 0.3 microns, live pathogens, microorganisms, and VOCs and are responsible for up to 18 per cent of the energy consumption in a building. Highly rated MERV filters and high-efficiency filters (HEPA) are highly restrictive to airflow, increase building energy consumption and can cost thousands to install. For building owners that require better air quality, there exists a negative trade-off between air quality and building energy consumption. The ALVI CleanAir Safety System provides best-in-class indoor air quality while lowering fan energy consumption.
What is the inspiration behind your business?
My passion for driving CleanAir.ai links back to my struggles with childhood asthma intersecting with my passion for sustainability. The ALVI CleanAir Safety System developed by CleanAir.ai delivers HEPA-class air quality while reducing the energy consumption in the customer’s home/building and keeping them connected through IoT sensors. The goal for ALVI is to be your home/building’s personal air assistant and to be able to detect and correct poor IAQ.
What is your magic sauce?
HVAC Air filters haven’t been innovated in decades. This is an underserved and out-of-sight part of the building/home that has been overlooked in the wave of new sensor technology. It is generally understood that if enhanced indoor air quality is desired, a more densely packed filter would be required. This puts additional mechanical strain on the system and consumes more energy. ALVI is the only technology platform that offers HEPA-class air quality while reducing the pressure drop (increased energy savings) across the filter. Additionally, ALVI is the only technology platform that actively measures the status of the filter and reports back air quality insights to the user via their mobile app or a Building Automation System (BAS).
What is the plan for the next 5 years? What do you want to achieve?
Our vision is to become the “Apple” of air filtration. We’ll know this has been accomplished when we see an ALVI in virtually every home, office, and building. Wherever there is an HVAC air filter installed, ALVI’s technology platform can be applied (cars, hospitals, data centers, airplanes, etc.). ALVI will be every home and building’s virtual air assistant monitoring individual allergens and providing owners with prescriptive maintenance feedback to improve indoor air quality in real-time.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far?
One of the biggest challenges that we’ve faced is the uphill battle of raising awareness about the importance of indoor air quality. Air is one of the most fundamental building blocks of life, yet the majority of us take it for granted. Breathing is one of the only things we do from the second we are born right until our time has come to an end. Making sure the air we breathe throughout our entire life is healthy and clean can have a real impact on the quality of our life and the lives around us. Let’s make each breath count.
How can people get involved?
Join us on our mission to end preventable diseases caused by poor IAQ! If you are a forward-thinking property manager that is interested in healthy, smart buildings, please reach out to us at www.CleanAirSafetySystem.com! If you are a homeowner and are interested in getting an ALVI for your home, please visit us at www.MyAlviFilter.com.