A new year brings new growth and opportunities for many businesses. With the coronavirus greatly impacting companies and the economy throughout 2020, many commercial businesses are looking to start 2021 with a positive vision for the year ahead. Getting customers through the doors while taking proper safety precautions is the biggest priority. One of the easiest ways to do this is by making sure that your business has proper air conditioning, heating, ventilation, and great air quality to protect and provide ideal comfort for your employees and customers. Here are some technology trends that are revolutionizing the commercial HVAC industry to keep businesses running smoothly in 2021.
Bipolar Ionization
Introduced in the 1970s, bipolar ionization was first used as a way to control pathogens in the food manufacturing industry. As technology advanced through the years it was found to be effective in fighting diseases such as the SARS virus. According to Business Insider “Bipolar ionization technology releases charged atoms that attach to and deactivate harmful substances like bacteria, mold, allergens, and viruses.” This means that coronavirus particles could be rendered useless if exposed to these atoms. Another advantage of bipolar ionization is these atoms enlargen particles allowing them to be more easily caught by the air filter in your HVAC system. With this technology currently available many commercial businesses are rushing to integrate bipolar ionization technology into their HVAC systems to keep their guests and customers safe.
Ventilation
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) “Adequate ventilation throughout the work environment can help to maintain a safe and healthy workplace.” With this in mind, ventilation allows for proper airflow throughout your building removing contaminated air and replacing it with clean air. If indoor air isn’t ventilated properly, it can become stagnant and contaminated which can harm your employees and customers. One of the biggest indicators of improper or poor ventilation is foul-smelling air. If not taken care of this can lead to bigger problems such as sick building syndrome and illnesses. With clean indoor air so important during the pandemic, it is crucial to make sure your building is properly ventilated and that your HVAC systems are up to date and serviced properly.
UVC Lighting
Towards the end of 2020, many businesses turned to UVC lighting in the forms of lighting, lamps, and wands to disrupt covid19 and other harmful air pollutants. According to Hughes Environmental, “UVC Lighting is a disinfection method that uses short-wavelength ultraviolet light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions. Light in the UVC wavelength can be used for disinfecting ductwork, sterilizing surfaces, destroying harmful micro-organisms in food products and in air.” Because this lighting is undetectable to humans it is a cost-effective and discrete way to control coronavirus particles indoors.
Preventative Maintenance
It has never been more important to have preventative maintenance performed on your HVAC systems than in 2021. The biggest reason is it will keep your indoor air clean and prevent harmful pollutants such as bacteria and virus particles from entering and spreading throughout your building. One of the most important tasks that we perform with preventative maintenance services is filter changes. While filter changes are usually recommended quarterly, stronger filters that are used to capture coronavirus particles such as MERV13 are recommended to be changed monthly. Other filters should also be changed more frequently to prevent bacteria and virus particles from accumulating on your filter. Preventative maintenance services will ensure that your HVAC systems are always running smoothly and keep your indoor air clean and comfortable while saving you money and energy in the long term.
With these technologies and services currently available, 2021 can be a year of regrowth and an opportunity for businesses to bring back their customers into their buildings safely. Call us at (800)-382-3150 to see how we can keep your employees and customers at all your locations nationwide safe indoors with our HVAC services.
