An office’s HVAC systems are predominantly responsible for the level of air quality filtered into the building. If you want to improve indoor air quality (IAQ) for your facility, start by implementing the following HVAC tips.
Set Up a Thorough HVAC Maintenance Plan
HVAC maintenance should be a regular part of your building management strategy. Monthly maintenance is usually enough to maintain a solid HVAC quality control plan, but in the wake of COVID-19, you might want to do it twice a month. This will reassure building occupants that you’re actively working to improve indoor air quality and ensure you have precise and up-to-date data on your HVAC performance.
Like a report from Kimberly-Clark Professional says, “poor IAQ is so prevalent that the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology notes that 50 percent of all illnesses are either caused or aggravated by poor IAQ.” Setting up a detailed HVAC maintenance plan may not guarantee the health of your occupants, but it will go a long way toward improving the air quality and preventing them from being exposed to potentially harmful particles.
Upgrade the HVAC Filter
Changing HVAC filters should be included in your maintenance plan, but if you want to make better indoor air quality (IAQ) a top priority, try upgrading the filters. HEPA, or other high-efficiency HVAC filters, can be an excellent investment, as they’re able to better trap viruses and other contaminants.
However, every facility is different, and upgrading your HVAC systems with the wrong kind of filter can decrease airflow. Always be sure you consult with a professional before implementing new filters into your building’s HVAC products.
Use an HVAC Management Tool
Having consistent, remote, and comprehensive access to a building’s HVAC systems will provide managers with all the tools and data they’ll need to improve indoor air quality. An HVAC management tool like ODIN can even “monitor itself and self-diagnose issues before they come to the point where a human technician would notice them.” These issues include the need for a filter change, excessive system loading, unusual temperatures, and humidity levels.
Develop an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Profile
One of the best things you can do to improve indoor air quality is to establish an IAQ profile. The EPA defines this as “a description of the features of the building structure, function, and occupancy that impact indoor air quality.” An IAQ profile helps managers better understand the current and historical status of a building’s air quality, which will give you baseline information on the kind of factors that can affect IAQ in the future.
It doesn’t take much effort to establish an IAQ profile, either. Having an HVAC management tool like ODIN means you can simply look into your HVAC systems’ history and compile a report that gives you in-depth visibility into the air quality those systems have produced.
If you want to learn more about how ODIN can help streamline your efforts to improve indoor air quality, get in touch with us today! We would love to answer any questions you have and even set up a demo that shows off the functionalities offered by ODIN.
