According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air quality is up to five times worse than outdoor air quality. If you are like many people, you spend about 90% of your time indoors, making it important to have quality indoor air. Having poor indoor air QUALITY can cause many NEGATIVE HEALTH effects. Regular testing can minimize these effects as it allows you to remediate issues when they are found, so you can improve indoor air quality.
How an Air Quality Test Works
A complete indoor air quality test identifies and analyzes the presence of chemical, biological, and combustion pollutants in the air. If a pollutant is found to be above the standard and acceptable range, you can take steps to eliminate the source. While you can purchase home testing kits to test air quality, professional testing is more accurate and reliable than a home testing kit. The following are some of the major benefits of having your indoor air quality professionally tested.
1. Reduced Respiratory Issues
The symptoms of poor indoor air quality may include scratchy throat, nasal irritation, headaches, fatigue, and nausea. These effects might be the same as those of colds and allergies. People who have asthma may experience aggravated symptoms. If the symptoms mainly take place in one area but go away when you leave, poor indoor air quality can be the culprit. With time, indoor air pollutants may exacerbate the risk of respiratory illnesses and heart issues. To improve your health, you must have your indoor air quality tested, taking measures to correct any problems. Some of these measures can include swapping cleaning products, improving ventilation, and having your ductwork inspected by experts.
2. Improved Comfort
The impact of poor indoor air quality varies from one person to the next. However, the symptoms can cause some to experience significant discomfort. Whether the discomfort is major or minor, being uncomfortable at all is unnecessary, especially since there are steps you can take to make things better concerning air quality. You can identify problems that impact comfort via testing and make improvements where they are needed.
Furthermore, indoor humidity can also have an impact on your comfort. If the relative humidity levels exceed 50%, your indoor space may feel warmer, increasing the risk of mold growth. When working with an expert in air quality, you will learn what steps you can take to reduce indoor humidity levels to further improve your comfort.
3. Lower Utility Bills
Often, air quality issues arise due to poor ventilation. This may cause your system to work harder to maintain ideal comfort levels in your home or office. The increased strain on your system makes the unit consume more energy, which increases your utility bills. With proper ventilation, indoor pollutants are reduced alongside your utility bills because air will circulate more freely. Working with an air quality expert will help you make the necessary enhancements to improve ventilation.
4. Reduced Odors
Smoke, rodent droppings, mold, and other indoor pollutants can cause unpleasant odors. Usually, the problem lurks deep inside your ductwork. Unpleasant odors can make the people in your home or office experience uncomfortable symptoms such as headaches, nausea, and dizziness. In addition, unpleasant odors may indicate other serious problems that can put you at health and safety risks. An indoor air quality test is recommended because you will be able to mitigate whatever is causing these odors.
5. Improved Employee Performance
If your employees are more comfortable at your workplace, productivity is guaranteed to increase. Therefore, reducing the incidences of poor air quality and illnesses is critical in lowering absenteeism rates and improving employee performance. If you have complied with the latest building standards and have used surveys to engage employee comfort levels related to humidity and temperature, you can narrow down the pollutants that need to be tested. Ensure you compare your survey to a floor plan to spot trends and trouble spots in your office space.
Airborne illnesses can spread quite quickly, especially in small spaces. Thus, regular air quality testing can help reduce infection risks and prevent outbreaks.
Contact the Experts
When it comes to indoor air quality, what you do not know can hurt you. If you work or live in Stroudsburg and feel that your indoor air quality has deteriorated, call R.J. Groner Inc. today to schedule an air quality test. Our licensed experts will give you solutions on how to reduce pollution. We are also experts in HVAC services, including installations, repairs, and maintenance.
