Shift to the Future recap: How wildfires inspired the industry’s first 1″ smart filter
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In Episode 7 of Shift to the Future, “How wildfires inspired the industry’s first 1″ smart filter,” Brian Feenie, ACCA’s QI certificates chief encouragement officer, welcomed Winston Mok, founder of Woosh Air, to share how data-driven filter technology is transforming air quality and system performance.
Watch the full episode here and make sure to catch the next episode:
April 22: Let’s talk e-commerce in the home services industry!
Highlights from the episode
From garage project to industry innovation – Mok’s journey began during the California wildfires in 2018-2019 when air purifiers sold out. Working as a product manager at Google, he built a foldable filter solution in his condo. “By 2020, when COVID hit, I ended up quitting my job, pursuing this full time, getting onto Kickstarter,” Mok explained. After appearing on Shark Tank in November 2022, Woosh expanded from residential to commercial and industrial applications.
A smarter approach to filtration – The Woosh filter uses a durable frame with built-in pressure sensors that measure differential pressure on both sides of the filter. This “technician grade” sensor is the same type used in professional test equipment. Two triple-A batteries power the electronics, which connect to smartphones and smart thermostats for real-time monitoring.
Data changes everything – Customer surveys revealed most homeowners forget filter changes or follow arbitrary schedules. “When you ask them, ‘Why do you change it every three months?’ a lot of them will say, ‘Well, that’s what I’m just being told.’” Feenie shared that his MERV 13 Woosh filter lasted five months before needing replacement─far longer than industry standard recommendations for one-inch filters.
One-inch filters aren’t automatically bad – The conversation challenged the industry’s “bigger is better” narrative. Mok explained that Woosh’s one-inch mini-pleat design has “two and a half times the media of a standard capacity filter” and surface area comparable to many two-inch filters. California’s Title 20 regulation now requires pressure drop measurements on all filters, revealing some MERV-8 filters have pressure drops as low as 0.1 inches while others reach 0.28 inches at the same airflow.
Visual inspection misleads – Mok shared cases where appearance contradicted performance. At a McDonald’s franchise in San Jose, filters turned black almost immediately but continued performing well for three months─six times longer than their previous two-week replacement cycle. In another case, a filter that looked perfectly clean was completely blocked by invisible mineral deposits from a new aromatherapy diffuser.
Air quality impacts health – The full Woosh solution pairs filters with air quality monitors to detect PM 2.5 particles. In new construction homes, poor air quality after cooking can persist for “10-15 hours before it dissipates” because these homes are airtight. With active filtration triggered by air quality sensors, this time drops to under two hours. As Mok noted, PM 2.5 “sits in your bloodstream for more than three, four months” and stresses the cardiovascular system.
New revenue stream for contractors – Mok announced Filter Better, a subscription service allowing HVACR professionals to offer high-quality filters directly to customers with revenue for every filter shipped. This helps contractors reclaim business lost to retail and online sellers. “Big CPGs are playing into this,” Mok warned, mentioning Kleenex and Arm & Hammer entering the filter market with marketing-driven approaches rather than quality-focused products.
Diagnostic capabilities expand – Beyond filter monitoring, Woosh sensors have identified when coil freezing resulted from refrigerant issues rather than clogged filters. “A lot of times, freezing is not occurring due to a clogged filter,” Mok explained. The system provides PDF reports with historical data that technicians can use to pinpoint actual problems instead of automatically blaming the filter.
Looking ahead at the future of air filtration technology – Mok expressed excitement about bringing Woosh technology to more HVACR professionals who can help homeowners avoid “the pitfalls of just buying the cheapest thing on Amazon.” He sees the filter as the centerpiece of a broader system that impacts maintenance costs, equipment protection, energy usage, and sustainability. The filter is processing air “like blood going through your arteries,” Mok explained, noting that sensor data can reveal insights about the entire HVACR system’s health.
Want to learn more? Don’t miss the next Shift to the Future episode, where Feenie will speak with Paul Redman, VP of sales and customer success for Contractor Commerce, to discuss a hot topic in the home services industry: selling your goods and services online.
Posted In: Technology
