If you are someone that works from home or spends a large amount of time in a home office, you may want to consider the air quality in your residence. If you have noticed a difference in your overall health and energy levels while working from home, it could be because of the poor air quality. Not only can home offices be dangerous to work in when not properly taken care of, but they can also cause problems for those that stay at home as well.
If you are looking for a way to improve your indoor air quality, using an HVAC unit is a great way to do so. Here you will find information about what affects the indoor air quality and how one should go about choosing an HVAC system if they decide to use one:
What Affects Air Quality?
Many people often underestimate just how much their indoor environment plays a role in their overall well-being. Many factors come into play when determining the air quality in any given building. Some of these factors include:
Construction and Ventilation
Construction and ventilation play a significant role in how well your indoor environment will hold up against the outside elements. If you have poor structure surrounding the home, it can lead to many issues such as humidity build-up and bacterial growth. Proper ventilation is also important, allowing for proper airflow into and out of the property.
Weather Conditions
Some weather conditions can greatly affect your indoor air quality, such as heavy rainfall or flooding, particularly if they are happening indoors. Too much humidity will also cause potential things such as mold growth which can be dangerous for those with asthma or other respiratory problems. There are hazards to indoor air quality that can be caused by the weather outside, which is why it is important to know what these risks are.
Bacteria Growth
Poor indoor air quality can often lead to an increase in bacterial growth. This means that if you have pets, you should pay close attention to where they go inside so as not to bring any bacteria inside with them. With clean floors and surfaces, it is easy to reduce the potential for bacterial growth should your home experience poor air quality.
Mechanical Systems
The mechanical systems found within a building will also greatly affect the indoor air quality of a property. Some of these systems may include things such as furnaces or HVAC units that help regulate the temperature throughout both hot and cold seasons. These systems play a large role in air quality, so it is best to ensure that they are working properly and efficiently.
If you notice any of these signs and symptoms of poor air quality, you should call for repairs immediately:
Eye Irritation: If your eyes burn or itch due to excessive dryness, this could be a sign that there is an issue with the indoor air quality.
Difficulty Breathing: Difficulty breathing can also be a sign that something may be amiss, such as humidity build-up around the property, which can lead to respiratory issues such as asthma.
Coughing: Coughing is another potential sign of insufficient ventilation or even mold growth. You should always ensure proper airflow throughout the home and not only where you spend your time. This will help to ensure that the air quality throughout is good enough for people to breathe comfortably.
Headaches: Having frequent headaches at home or even feeling lightheaded can be a sign of insufficient air flow, humidity build-up, or dust accumulation. Each of these things has the potential to lead to other health risks if they are not attended to accordingly.
If you experience any of these symptoms on a regular basis, call professionals who are knowledgeable about indoor air quality issues and poor air quality in general. These professionals should be able to identify if there are any deficiencies with ventilation systems, HVAC units, weather conditions outside, or anything else that could contribute to the poor air quality within your local area.
How to Ensure Proper Air Quality
If you want to ensure that your indoor air quality is of the highest possible standard, there are some things that you can do yourself while working from home or just in general. These include:
Ventilation: One of the most important ways to guarantee good air quality for your home is through ventilation. This helps to circulate fresh air inside, which means you breathe cleaner air throughout the day without any interruptions. Keep windows open when it feels like a nice day outside, and only close them if there is rain or other weather conditions indicating poor air quality. If it is too warm indoors, keep windows closed to prevent fresh inside air from getting out and recirculate what you currently have until things cool down naturally. You can also invest in an air ventilation system to ensure good indoor air quality.
Make sure your home is clean: By having a clean home, you are able to thoroughly clean all surfaces and keep up with any potential problems that may cause poor indoor air quality. While working from home, try not to work near any clutter or messes that could potentially lead to dust accumulation which can cause health issues over time. Use the right filtration at all times: Using filtration systems during certain seasons will help to purify the air coming into your home so that you breathe cleaner air throughout the day.
During the winter months, when there is increased dryness due to heaters being constantly on, it is important to have a humidifier installed within your ventilation system so that the air is not too dry and can benefit your lungs.
Ensure proper temperature: Having the temperature within the right parameters at all times will make it easier for you to breathe without any discomfort or pain in your chest area. If it is cold, wear sweaters or sweatshirts around the house instead of using heaters directly because this keeps humidity levels low, which could aggravate respiratory issues.
During hot months, keep windows closed and use an air conditioning unit instead of opening windows because this allows more humid outside air to come inside, which has the potential to cause mold growth if your home becomes too moist over time.
Understand your HVAC unit: Understanding how to use your HVAC system properly is important because it allows you to maximize airflow, adjust temperature levels as needed, and ensure that equipment does not break down over time due to misuse. Having a professional inspect the system at least once a year can be incredibly helpful in identifying any problems before they become too large and require more expensive repairs. For instance, having various filters inspected on an annual basis helps to remove anything that could cause air quality issues after time, such as dust accumulation and pet dander.
HVAC systems that provide ventilation: If you live in an area where temperatures drop below freezing sometimes or even frequently during certain seasons, it is important for ventilation units within your home to heat air to circulate throughout the room after it is filtered.
Contact a Professional for Assistance
Here at Austin AC, we provide heating and cooling systems for homes in the Austin area. Call us today if you would like more information on how we can help make your home a healthier place to live! Our team of technicians is available to answer any questions while providing prompt, professional service for all our customers.