If your office has been sitting for some time, and now you and the staff are about to return to it, there are some HVAC considerations you should handle first. Buildings are meant to be occupied, and with no one around to spot issues, yours may have developed some issues that have gone uncorrected. Before you return to the office, walk through these 5 considerations with your building owner or manager to be sure that everything will be clean and safe for you to resume work.
1. Proper Ventilation
When turning your HVAC systems back on, it is important to ensure that you ventilate every area of the office, removing things like potentially harmful gas build-ups, mold, smells, and more. This is a wise time to go over with an HVAC professional if your building meets modern standards for ventilation. You can add new ventilation without compromising the energy efficiency of the building.
Look through the CDC’s guide on office building reopening and ensure that you fully ventilate the space for as long as they recommend. It will depend on your specific circumstances.
2. Common Air Flow Issues
When you walk back into your office after an absence, you may notice signs of airflow issues that you took for granted before. These are all signs that your HVAC system’s airflow needs to be improved, that you should look out for:
- The air smells or feels stuffy in your workplace. This could be due to air quality or humidity issues.
- Entrance doors are hard to open or close. This can be due to air pressure.
- You have hot or cold spots throughout the building. Some rooms may even be colder or warmer than others. This is frequently an airflow problem or the result of poor HVAC system design.
Are you looking for more information on office HVAC systems? Give our team at B&B ClimateCare a call today, we’d be happy to answer any of your questions!
3. Air Purifiers
Naturally, you may be curious about whether a new air purifier could help limit the spread of viruses and bacteria, to make your office a healthier place when you return. Air quality is just one part of the picture, germs can also spread on surfaces. However, there are air purifiers on the market that can catch airborne viruses and bacteria, taking some out of the air to help limit the odds of spread. Quality is very important when choosing an air purifier, so we suggest you work with HVAC technicians to make sure you’re getting the solution that you want.
4. Humidity Concerns
Office buildings with too low or too high humidity become uncomfortable, may exasperate health conditions and may undermine the quality of the building by damaging wood and drywall. It is wise to get a professional to assess your humidity conditions and recommend options to improve those conditions.
5. Filter Changes
Now is a good time to change the filters on all of your equipment and schedule its yearly maintenance.
Are you looking for more information on HVAC systems? Our team at B&B ClimateCare would be happy to help. Give us a call today.
