Around 36,000 people in the UK die every year due to the pollution in the air. This is a frightening statistic and will concern anyone responsible for managing a building, be it residential or commercial.
Air quality is an important part of any building. It is often overlooked in place of structural features, but if your air is bad, you could be putting anyone who uses your building at risk. So whether you’re seeking air conditioning for residential buildings or air conditioning for industrial premises, an air handling unit is a great choice.
To find out more about air handling units and how they vastly improve air quality, keep reading.
What Is an Air Handling Unit?
An air handling unit is a big box made from metal. It works by connecting to ductworks that filter air through a building. The air is then circulated back to your AHU. An AHU is essentially one of many different types of air conditioning.
The air that goes through an AHU is taken from outside. It is cleaned and conditioned within the AHU to provide fresh and healthy air to the people inside.
Your air handling unit is installed with specific kinds of filters depending on what kind of building it is being used for. The filters work by taking any harmful contaminants out of the air to improve its quality. The specific filters offer varying degrees of contaminant removal.
AHUs are fitted with a fan. This works to make sure clean air is provided to every part of your building. Like filters, the kind of fan that is installed will depend on what kind of building the AHU is going into.
Humidifiers are also a standard part of air handling units. They improve the humidity of any room or building. This is especially useful during the winter, when the air becomes dry, often leading to chesty coughs.
If you choose to purchase an air handling unit, you’ll notice just how much cleaner the air in your building feels. Keep reading below to find out about the health benefits of using an air handling unit.
How Can It Improve Air Quality?
There are many ways an air handling unit helps to control air quality. From temperature to allergens, an AHU will provide the best air quality for your building.
Controls Temperature
You might not think that temperature control is all that important when it comes to improving your air quality. However, bacteria are more likely to breed and grow in warmer, damper environments. So the temperature of your building is crucial for your air quality.
An air handling unit helps to control the temperature of your building. This is particularly important in areas that face very warm or very cold weather depending on the season. Being in control of the temperature of your building allows you to care for the well-being of everyone who resides in or uses it.
Warm temperatures allow harmful bacteria to grow in your building. The people residing or working in it breathe these bacteria in and get sick as a result. That’s why it’s so important to be in control of the temperature of your building.
With an AHU, you’ll be able to keep harsh temperatures under control.
Filters Out Allergens and Pollutants
Allergens and pollutants grow exponentially in the air that is of poor quality. When people breathe allergens in, they become sick with colds and other respiratory problems.
An AHU can put a quick stop to this problem. With the powerful filters installed in your AHU, allergens, and pollutants are filtered out and essentially “cleaned” out of the air.
The air that is circled back through a building is then clean and largely pollutant-free. This means everyone in your building is safe from these harmful elements.
Allergens and pollutants are causing serious health issues in the UK today. Air is also one way in which diseases and viruses are spread. Keeping the quality of internal air high with an air handling unit is the best way to keep people healthy in your building.
Adjusts Humidity
Buildings with high humidity are difficult to spend long periods in. With the air sticky and heavy, anyone inside is stuck, spending their days thinking about when they can get outside. An air handling unit is the best way to help control internal humidity.
A humid environment also promotes the growth of bacteria, especially mildew and mould. These contaminants are harmful to anyone who uses your building and can be dangerous when inhaled.
Removes Excess Moisture Which Prevents Mould From Forming
Bacteria and other harmful pollutants love excess moisture. It allows them to breed, which leads to dampness and mould forming in your building. This is hazardous to anyone who resides or works in your building, and so it is important to prevent mould before it begins to become a problem.
A properly installed AHU will help to remove excess moisture from the air. Drying out the air will prevent mould and other harmful bacteria from growing and spreading. And if the air gets to dry, the settings of your air handling unit can always be adjusted to suit your needs.
Total Environmental Kooling will help to make sure your air handling unit is installed correctly. They’ll advise you on the best place to put your AHU so that it performs most efficiently.
Why Do You Need Better Air Quality?
Air quality is often overlooked, but it is truly one of the most important elements of building management. With all the pollution already present in the air outside, maintaining a high standard of air quality inside is more important than ever.
There are three reasons you should use an air handling unit to make sure you have the best quality air possible.
Health
The health and safety of everyone using your building should be the top priority of any building manager. While you might already have a secure fire-escape plan in place and you conduct safety checks throughout the year, air quality is a health and safety issue that can inadvertently pass you by.
By ensuring the quality of the air in your building is at its peak, you guarantee the safety of everyone who uses your building. Indoor air quality is an important part of the health and safety of a building, and an air handling unit will help you achieve the best quality air possible.
Improves Concentration
If you’re running a building that offers office space to employers and their staff, you want to make sure they’re able to do their work to a high standard. Lower air quality can reduce a person’s ability to focus, and this can have serious consequences.
Regardless of whether the building is residential or commercial, air quality matters. Whether a person is cooking dinner in their home or conducting a meeting with employees in their office, they need to concentrate.
Lower air quality results in fatigue and brain fog. Breathing in contaminated air can stuff up the sinuses, resulting in headaches and migraines. This makes it impossible for any task to be completed efficiently and safely.
Improving the air quality of a building improves the concentration of that inside. Breathing in cleaner, filtered air allows people to get on with their day without brain fog and fatigue. An air handling unit will help to improve air quality so that everything runs smoothly.
Working in the Right Temperature Improves Productivity
This is especially important for those working from home, or those running a building with many employees. When a building is too hot or too cold, work is often forgotten about as people try to find comfort in extreme temperatures.
That’s why an air handling unit is the best choice for buildings where work is being conducted. Employers expect a building manager who will take care of their employees, and making sure a building is at the right temperature is a huge part of this.
While regular air conditioning is great for commercial buildings, if you truly wish to keep those that rent space from you in your building healthy and happy, you need an air handling unit. It is the best way to easily offer air quality control to all those who use your building.
An Air Handling Unit Is Just What You Need to Get the Best Air Quality
An air handling unit will solve all your most pressing air quality issues. Whether you’re simply trying to adjust the temperature or you want to get rid of any allergens in the air, a correctly installed AHU is perfect for your needs.
Total Environmental Kooling installs commercial, residential, and industrial air conditioning. We’re the right choice for improving the quality of air throughout your building.
If you’d like to learn more, feel free to get in touch. The customer service team will be happy to answer any air conditioning or air quality control questions you have.
