If you are an HVAC contractor who has not done so already, it is time to lean into the growing indoor air quality trend. This is especially true of HVAC commercial contractors.

It is hard to believe — at least for me — but we just recently passed the 20^th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. I was thinking about the massive changes to public buildings and spaces that the horrible attack on our country spurred.

Getting on a plane Sept. 10, 2001, was a much different experience than it is today in regard to security. The same can be said for any sporting event or concert that you may go to these days.

In New York, these changes were much more prevalent — for obvious reasons. After 9/11, a lot of buildings completely revamped their security systems and made enhancements to make their tenants feel safer.

Fast forward 20 years, and we are living through a COVID pandemic that has killed over 650,000 U.S residents in the last 20 months. Much like the public needed to feel safe from terrorist attacks two decades ago, a large percentage of the public now needs to feel safe from the coronavirus.

Not only do they want high-quality air to breathe, but they also want it proved to them that they are breathing high-quality air. Enter the HVAC contractor.

“Indoor air quality is getting ingrained in our society,” said Ryan McArdle, product manager at Daikin Applies during a recent NEWSmakers podcast. “There will continue to be heightened awareness around IAQ, and customer demands are just going to increase. Places like office buildings, airports, and general public areas where people gather will have heightened awareness and expectations that have shifted from pre-pandemic levels.”

One of the struggles for building owners as well as homeowners is knowing whether their investments in IAQ are making a tangible difference in their space. Call it “misinformation” or “disinformation,” but there has been a lot of faulty information circulated about IAQ results during this pandemic — much of it coming from outside the HVAC industry in the form of companies looking to make a quick buck. Naturally, consumers got skeptical, which makes it all the more important for HVAC contractors to do their homework and make sure they are prepared when talking to their clients. Customers will pick up on your confidence when you are talking about different IAQ technologies.

One item that will help HVAC contractors is the adoption of sensors, which is quickly becoming a trend in the industry. A lot of manufacturers are introducing sensors into the marketplace that tell the end user a lot more about IAQ than simply temperature and humidity. Items like CO₂, particulates, and VOCs are also being measured and shared.

“As that section of the business evolves and you are able to make it more transparent to what is there, you will see that get pulled through to tangible changes making a real difference in their space. I think the technology is getting there to show the real proof,” McArdle said.

What we might be seeing in the near future is a dashboard when you enter a building that will share what the air quality is in the building and what is being done to improve that for the end user. It is giving the public peace of mind in these uncertain times, so it will not just be the facility manager behind the scenes having access to this information.

A good example of this is the recent iPhone update that included an improvement to their weather app. With something called the BreezoMeter — I love that name — iPhone users can find out how the outdoor air quality is in their area. Not a huge deal in some places in the country, but people near wildfires in California undoubtedly look at it every day.

Why wouldn’t the public want that same information in the buildings they are entering? And the only way to get good results is to bring in a trained HVAC professional.

If you are an HVAC contractor who has not done so already, it is time to lean into the growing indoor air quality trend. This is especially true of HVAC commercial contractors.

It is hard to believe — at least for me — but we just recently passed the 20^th anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. I was thinking about the massive changes to public buildings and spaces that the horrible attack on our country spurred.

Getting on a plane Sept. 10, 2001, was a much different experience than it is today in regard to security. The same can be said for any sporting event or concert that you may go to these days.

In New York, these changes were much more prevalent — for obvious reasons. After 9/11, a lot of buildings completely revamped their security systems and made enhancements to make their tenants feel safer.

Fast forward 20 years, and we are living through a COVID pandemic that has killed over 650,000 U.S residents in the last 20 months. Much like the public needed to feel safe from terrorist attacks two decades ago, a large percentage of the public now needs to feel safe from the coronavirus.

Not only do they want high-quality air to breathe, but they also want it proved to them that they are breathing high-quality air. Enter the HVAC contractor.

“Indoor air quality is getting ingrained in our society,” said Ryan McArdle, product manager at Daikin Applies during a recent NEWSmakers podcast. “There will continue to be heightened awareness around IAQ, and customer demands are just going to increase. Places like office buildings, airports, and general public areas where people gather will have heightened awareness and expectations that have shifted from pre-pandemic levels.”

One of the struggles for building owners as well as homeowners is knowing whether their investments in IAQ are making a tangible difference in their space. Call it “misinformation” or “disinformation,” but there has been a lot of faulty information circulated about IAQ results during this pandemic — much of it coming from outside the HVAC industry in the form of companies looking to make a quick buck. Naturally, consumers got skeptical, which makes it all the more important for HVAC contractors to do their homework and make sure they are prepared when talking to their clients. Customers will pick up on your confidence when you are talking about different IAQ technologies.

One item that will help HVAC contractors is the adoption of sensors, which is quickly becoming a trend in the industry. A lot of manufacturers are introducing sensors into the marketplace that tell the end user a lot more about IAQ than simply temperature and humidity. Items like CO₂, particulates, and VOCs are also being measured and shared.

“As that section of the business evolves and you are able to make it more transparent to what is there, you will see that get pulled through to tangible changes making a real difference in their space. I think the technology is getting there to show the real proof,” McArdle said.

What we might be seeing in the near future is a dashboard when you enter a building that will share what the air quality is in the building and what is being done to improve that for the end user. It is giving the public peace of mind in these uncertain times, so it will not just be the facility manager behind the scenes having access to this information.

A good example of this is the recent iPhone update that included an improvement to their weather app. With something called the BreezoMeter — I love that name — iPhone users can find out how the outdoor air quality is in their area. Not a huge deal in some places in the country, but people near wildfires in California undoubtedly look at it every day.

Why wouldn’t the public want that same information in the buildings they are entering? And the only way to get good results is to bring in a trained HVAC professional.