A model has been developed to predict the energy efficiency and annual operation cost for filters installed in an HVAC air handling system using filter data from standard ASHRAE 52.2-2007 filter tests. Thirty filters from six manufacturers were investigated to determine the most energy efficient and cost effective filtration solutions for an airport installation in Vancouver. Canada. A comparison of the output of the proposed model with the 'kep' and Wattage methods was performed to highlight the possible differences in filter choice that would be made using alternative approaches. The outcomes have been shown to differ due to data not incorporated in the older models such as filtration efficiency and particulate concentration. The sensitivity of filter cost to model parameters was also studied. It was found that the concentration of particles in the air stream and the cost of electricity had the largest effect on annual cost of operation. Increasing the concentration of particles in the air stream increases the cost of operating the filter and causes the installation of a prefilter upstream of the primary filter to be more economically attractive. Increasing electricity cost also increases the operation cost but has the reverse effect on attractiveness of prefilter installations. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.