During these uncertain and unprecedented times, we are all addressing the “new normality” which reaches far and wide across daily life, industry. work life and leisure. Many of our clients are wondering what they should be doing in relation to their air conditioning maintenance now we are living with COVID 19.

Our priority as engineers is to ensure clean air is always available to susceptible occupants of buildings private or public from the air conditioning system. To do this we work to contain any contaminated/used air or to disperse it to the exterior of a building. We also dilute the available air with clean, filtered air from outdoors which is combined with cleaning the air within a room or space. 

As the virus is so new, there are no filters yet that are proven to remove the virus. However, by using outdoor air we can negate this until the technology comes on stream. 

We would recommend that the maintenance of air conditioning in highly controlled environments such as gyms where less air flow is supplied when less people are there are adjusted to allow full air flow at all times even though this will use more energy. Another option when the building is empty is to purge the air in the space, but this will require professional advice. 

Any air handling units that have ultraviolet need to be on and fully operational. If you do not have UV, talk to our engineers as outside of pandemic times, they help destroy pollutants and viruses. 

Dirty and inefficient filters can make occupants more susceptible to respiratory infections and thus more vulnerable to COVID 19. Priority must be given to maintaining regular filter changes and general maintenance of the air conditioning systems.

Finally, we recommend focussing on these key areas:

• Replace filters regularly. 
• Research increasing the minimum Efficiency Rating Value (MERV) rating of your filters. The better the rating, the more airborne particles are captured. 
• Clean the inside of the air handling units using the recommended products your engineers or unit manufacturers. 

Simply Air Conditioning London offer a 24 Hour Call Out. Call at any hour on 020 7870 2333. Or get in touch using the contact form!