Businesses have a responsibility to maintain good indoor air quality for their employees and customers. If you’d like to improve yours, experts recommend making an IAQ improvement plan. Let’s explore everything you need to know to do this.
Set a Budget
The first step is to determine how much money you have available and where it’s coming from. You may find that you don’t have the resources to make the changes you need all at once. Setting priorities will help you to manage your budget most effectively. If you lack the funds for improvements you can’t delay, you can also explore your financing options at this point.
Know the Challenges You Face
Building your prioritized list begins with assessing your HVAC systems. Schedule a full inspection. A standard inspection will cover the heating and cooling units and the blower. You may also want the technician to assess the ductwork and overall ventilation. Consider services like duct cleaning and sealing as needed.
Schedule an energy audit and air quality test, too. The audit will reveal where you’re losing heating and cooling. That will often reveal IAQ issues, such as too much natural ventilation, as well. The air quality test will reveal issues with:
- Mold
- Gases
- Humidity
- Airborne chemicals
- Particulate matter
Explore the Available Solutions
The final steps are to explore the upgrades you need and prioritize them. Often, one of the easiest and most affordable upgrades to make is a better HVAC filter. Most systems support MERV-13 filters that will trap at least 90% of dust and other allergens.
If you’re experiencing air leakage in your ducts, repair and seal them. If they’re old or very damaged, replacement may be a better choice. For sites with inadequate ventilation, consider a mechanical ventilation system. There are even heat and energy recovery ventilators that you can run during winter.
The best way to remove airborne pollution is through a whole-building air purifier. These systems can trap particulates and absorb chemicals and gases. You can also add a UV lamp to remove pathogens. Look for a system that provides at least four air changes per hour. Higher is even better. Look at the clean air delivery rate (CADR), too. This measures purification effectiveness, and it should be at least two-thirds of the square footage of the space.
Relative humidity is an important consideration as well; maintain it between 30% and 60%. If you can’t achieve this naturally, you’ll need humidity control equipment. A humidifier will keep RH at 30% or above in winter. A dehumidifier will keep it at 60% or lower in summer.
If you’d like to improve the indoor air quality in your commercial building, contact our team at Gordon AC & Plumbing in Monroe, LA.
