Understanding Your Winter HVAC Needs

The onset of cold weather often drives people indoors, so they are sheltered from inclement weather. As more people gather in places like warehouses, office buildings, commercial housing, hotels, and more, providing patrons, residents, and employees with clean, high-quality indoor air is an essential aspect of creating a healthy indoor environment. Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are designed to do just that: help create better air quality for your people and business. Follow along as we explore indoor air quality standards, risks, importance, and how to select the right HVAC services for your business.

Recognizing Indoor Air Quality Risks

With more people indoors, the risk of airborne illnesses and diseases like influenza, COVID-19, allergens, and common colds may increase substantially. Indoor air pollutants are a major hazard for those inside and may have negative health risks associated with them. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 3 million deaths each year are caused by indoor air pollution.

Additionally, there may be certain processes or materials that require ample ventilation, like the storage or use of chemicals, gases, or processes to avoid heavy indoor air pollution. When considering indoor air pollutants, this publication from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH) outlines threats that are odorless and colorless gases, such as carbon monoxide and radon, that pose grave health hazards. Each type of hazardous air contamination may require unique indoor air quality solutions to help reduce health risks.

Staying Informed About Indoor Air Quality Standards

Depending on the location of your commercial building, you may be subject to local laws and standards for indoor air quality. In an effort to increase the accessibility of industries and provide healthy air for buildings, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has standards about ventilation  for many industries such as maritime, general industries, schools, and construction related to indoor air quality. 

Keeping up to date on your regular HVAC maintenance is a start in sustaining your standards compliance, and you may find that conducting a thorough examination of, but not limited to, OSHA, EPA, and WHO’s ventilation standards is beneficial.

Why HVAC Is Important to Your Business

According to this publication from the NIH, Americans spend an estimated 90% of their time indoors, including in their workplaces, homes, and many other indoor environments. As a business or facility owner or manager, it is important to provide an environment that possesses top-notch indoor air quality solutions to potentially reduce the risk of air contaminants and related illnesses. While both outdoor and indoor air may contain hazardous pollutants, cleaning the indoor air with proper ventilation, filtration, and even systems like bi-polar ionization may help reduce the risk of major indoor pollution within your facilities, which may lead to a healthier environment for your people.

Discovering the Indoor Air Quality Services That Are Right for Your Facility

As you learn more about the importance of proper indoor air quality, your next step might entail discovering services to help you design and install HVAC systems in your facility. Establishing the needs of your facility can be tricky, so connecting with a reliable and expert service to evaluate the type of facility you have (educational, medical, commercial, etc.) and what kind of systems would be optimal can be a great help. 

For 60 years, MMC’s team has completed nearly 300,000 projects and has continuously expanded their knowledge and expertise to provide their clients with some of the best-quality mechanical systems. MMC is ready to help you provide high-quality air to your facilities and people. To get connected to a member of our team, contact us here or via phone at: 952-941-7010