How Much is Poor Indoor Air Quality Costing Your Business?

As cold and flu season reaches its end, it’s easy to believe the worst of employee ‘sick days’ are behind you. As the warmer weather makes its way in, however, spring allergies are on the horizon, affecting workers not only outdoors, but inside work facilities where air quality can be 2-5-times worse than the air outside. As each season brings its own challenges, how will you safeguard your employees, productivity, and ultimately your business against the effects poor indoor air quality?

Half of Employee Illness is Caused or Worsened by Poor Indoor Air Quality

This alarming statistic from the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology points to indoor air quality (IAQ) as a leading precipitator of employee illness. More than a scheduling headache, poor indoor air quality takes a massive toll, costing the U.S. economy as much as $168-billion a year according to Department of Energy estimates. This includes the cost of medical care and absenteeism. However, when sick workers drag themselves in, the problem becomes increasingly worse.

Quality & Quantity of Work Suffer with ‘Presenteeism’ and Poor IAQ Situations

When sick workers drag themselves into buildings with poor IAQ, a phenomenon dubbed ‘presenteeism,’ they suffer a reduction in individual productivity of 33%. Workers aren’t ‘helping,’ but instead incurring costs 7.5-times more than illness-induced absence and 2-3-times more than direct medical care. This is sustained while spreading illness to others, creating a chain reaction and exponentially increasing productivity loss and cost to the business. However, commercial heating & cooling professionals know these scenarios could be easily avoided with comparatively inexpensive and sensible indoor air quality solutions.

Ways You Can Ensure Healthy Indoor Air Quality in Your Business

Commercial HVAC contractors commonly see business owners overlook easy ways to thwart indoor air quality issues, thinking they are cutting costs when they are cutting productivity. What might you be missing?

• Air filter changes
  All the heated/cooled air in your building goes through your filter. If that filter is coated in layers of dust and dust mites, pollen, mold spores, and bacteria, it is not only making your system work harder to push air, it is spreading contaminated air through the building. Cheap filter? You may want to consider the benefits of a HEPA upgrade. A filter upgrade is one of the least expensive ways to improve IAQ.
• Preventative maintenance
  Postponing preventative maintenance gives allergens and contaminants more time to accumulate in filters, ductwork, and other system components. For oil and gas-powered units, carbon monoxide may also be a concern. Commercial HVAC in Philadelphia depends on regular service to safeguard air quality.
• Moisture 
  Moisture is no good for your business, contributing to the proliferation of bacteria, mold, mildew, and more. Yet this could be easily thwarted with a simple and cost-effective central dehumidifier addition.
• Ventilation
  Adequate ventilation reduces carbon dioxide, controls odors, and flushes pollutants from the air. An experienced HVAC pro can recommend simple system modifications based on your unique business’ needs.

Studies show improving IAQ can increase productivity as much as 20%. Don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Clean things up with the help of the best commercial HVAC company in New Jersey. Contact H&H Commercial Services today.

This blog was originally posted at https://hhcommercialonline.com/how-much-is-poor-indoor-air-quality-costing-your-business/