There is some concern about COVID-19 transmission due to air conditioners and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems. The main recommendation is to increase your fresh air exchange. After that, possibly add an air purification system to your home’s existing HVAC system. This can be done using HEPA filters, UV light, or bipolar ionization.
If anyone in your house is sick, air purification units in their room should be used. Also, shutting off their room vents from the rest of your home’s HVAC system is recommended.
Air conditioners are not likely to spread COVID-19 as shown in this video:
Does Your HVAC System Need Any Upgrades?
4 Seasons Home Comfort can come in and examine your house’s HVAC needs. Then, we can perform any recommended upgrades to put these fears to rest.
“Having proper ventilation is a crucial part of preventing infection. We actually recommend air conditioning, as a means to prevent [viral spread],” said Ana Rule, assistant professor at the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, via Business Insider.
Rule’s research on COVID-19 found, that after social distancing, ventilation was the second most significant part of preventing infection spread. This is because air conditioning prevents infection by removing air from a room where there are virus droplets.
“After people staying home, eliminating the virus from streets and public spaces, removing contaminated air from a space is key,” said Rule. “A well designed and well maintained ventilation system should never contribute to spreading.”
Additionally, as noted by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control:
“There is currently no evidence of human infection with SARS-CoV-2 caused by infectious aerosols distributed through the ventilation system ducts of HVACs. The risk is rated as very low… Well-maintained HVAC systems, including air-conditioning units, securely filter large droplets containing SARS-CoV-2…
HVAC systems may have a complementary role in decreasing transmission in indoor spaces by increasing the rate of air change, decreasing recirculation of air and increasing the use of outdoor air.”
And as noted on CBC.ca, “University of Toronto engineering professor Jeffrey Siegel recommends — depending on the space — increasing the amount of outside air, upgrading central air systems to remove particulates or adding portable filtration units in high-traffic areas.”
Keeping You And Our Techs Safe In A Home Visit
On a related note, you might have concerns about having an HVAC tech come into your house. At 4 Seasons Home Comfort, our techs are instructed in physical distancing, washing their hands, wearing masks and using shoe coverings, and not working while sick. Any risks are well-mitigated if the tech and the homeowner wear masks, use physical distancing, and wash their hands.
Contact 4 Seasons Home Comfort for service you can count on or visit our showroom at 3620 9th Ave North in Lethbridge.
