HVAC’s have Cooling Coils & Drain Pans that are damp and dark. The microbes such as viruses, bacteria, mould, spores, fungus, etc. find an excellent breeding ground in all such places and grow rampantly.

Microbes Growth

As you know, all buildings breathe through its Heating & Ventilation Systems (HVAC) Systems and therefore the microbes that grow inside the HVAC get distributed all over the buildings though the air conditioning systems. Thus the Indoor Air of the Building gets infected and is unhealthy for occupants who inhale it.

Research has shown that building occupants exposed to such unhealthy environment can develop health issues, including sinus, congestion, headaches, allergy, asthma, and upper respiratory ailments, along with cold and flu, commonly referred to as ‘Sick Building Syndrome’. Repeated exposure to mold and bacteria can cause earlier insensitive people susceptible to diseases. People can feel irritation in the eyes, skin, throat and lungs which can lead to infections.

According to EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency), “50% of all illnesses are cause or aggravated by polluted indoor Air”. Further, as per the study conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Lab in US each year poor IAQ of commercial buildings result in $58 billion health cost and $200 billion productivity loss.

Besides causing health issues among the people who inhale the contaminated air, the Microbal build-up inside the AHU can also cause choking of the cooling coils. The mold and mildew grow inside the fins resulting in the decrease in the airflow, and increase in the pressure drop leading to huge energy consumption.

These bacteria laden fins if not taken care of can also reduce the lifespan of the equipment, leading to the massive costs of equipment replacement. It is estimated that about 37% additional energy is required to run AHU fans with dirty coils. 

The safest and most effective solution to eliminate Mold & Mildew Growth in the AHU is installation of UVGI Systems.