Indoor air quality refers to the air quality within your business. You may assume that what is inside your structures walls is fine (why wouldn’t it be?), but the truth will surprise you.
HVAC technicians are not medical doctors or industrial hygienists. However, it is estimated that over 80% of IAQ-related problems can be remedied by improving the design or maintenance program of a business’s HVAC system. The conclusion is obvious—in many cases, a qualified HVAC technician can improve the IAQ at a business. Your business’s HVAC system serves as a distribution network for the air being cooled or heated throughout your business. This same HVAC system can also serve as a path—and sometimes a source—for harmful airborne pollutants. These indoor air pollutants can and do affect the comfort and health of the occupants within your business.
In the past, much of the instruction that a HVAC technician received revolved around the mechanical, piping, and electrical aspects of installing and servicing equipment. Environmental concerns were rarely discussed. Today the environmental aspects of HVAC systems are becoming much more important and should not be ignored lightly.
Most people are aware that outdoor air pollution can damage their health but may not know that indoor air pollution can also have significant effects. EPA studies of human exposure to air pollutants indicate that indoor air levels of many pollutants may be 2 to 5 times, and in some cases more than 100 times higher than outdoor levels. High levels of indoor air pollutants are of concern in our society today because most people spend more time inside than outside. In fact, it is estimated that many of us spend more than 80% of our time indoors.
Over the past several decades, our exposure to indoor air pollutants is believed to have increased due to a variety of factors, among them the construction of more tightly sealed buildings, reduced ventilation rates (widely practiced as a means of saving energy), the use of synthetic building materials and furnishings, and the prevalence of chemically formulated personal care products, pesticides, and household cleaners. In recent years, comparative risk studies performed by the EPA and its Science Advisory Board have consistently ranked indoor air pollution among the top five environmental risks to public health.
In today’s economy many business owners have found themselves utilizing existing structures that were originally designed for a residential application. While on the surface one may believe all is good, it is not. It is always better to have a commercial designed building for any commercial applications. Even in true commercial buildings many of them fail to have the necessary air changes needed to maintain an indoor air quality that one should have for their employees and customers alike. Air changes within a commercially used structure are an important aspect of a properly designed central air conditioning and heating system. Absent the necessary air changes, it is extremely easy for organisms such as mold, mildew, and other microbes to grow within any areas within the structure where moisture may be located, even very small amounts of moisture. In todays understanding of health we should strive to create the very best of environments for all to enjoy.
TYPES OF INDOOR AIR QUALITY PRODUCTS
At Global Warming and Cooling we do not lightly recommend to our customers the installation of a fix all product contained in some type of magical box. While there are many indoor air quality products that can be installed in your business, a whole structure evaluation is always the best choice prior to any installation of additional products. A few of the products that may be recommended are:
- Ultraviolet lighting system for prevention of fungus growth on the surface of the indoor air handler evaporator coil.
- High performance filters such as high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA)
- UV activated carbon
- Cold Plasma Bi-Polar
- Photo catalytic Oxidation
- Whole business dehumidifiers
- and more.
To schedule an estimate for your businesses indoor air quality, contact Global Warming & Cooling today.
- Ultraviolet lighting system for prevention of fungus growth on the surface of the indoor air handler evaporator coil.
- High performance filters such as high-efficiency particulate absorbing (HEPA)
- UV activated carbon
- Cold Plasma Bi-Polar
- Photo catalytic Oxidation
- Whole business dehumidifiers
- and more.
To schedule an estimate for your businesses indoor air quality, contact Global Warming & Cooling today.