The complex environment in a hospital requires a specialty design for the HVAC system. Not only does a hospital HVAC system help with climate control, but it’s also important for maintaining a clean, safe environment for each patient and staff.
WHAT ROLE DOES HVAC PLAY IN HOSPITALS?
Since hospitals are large buildings, certain design features need to be considered to ensure the system maintains a comfortable temperature in all rooms. Temperature adjustments can be tricky when you are managing climate control in small patient rooms and large, open lobbies at the same time.
Temperature and humidity are critical in operating rooms or clean rooms. In these environments, you need precision for pressure, air-exchange, climate, and humidity levels. These air quality factors play an important role in providing a safe environment for every patient.
If a hospital HVAC system goes down, it can shut down the entire facility for hours. As a result, emergency situations must be rerouted to other nearby hospitals, and surgical procedures are delayed until the HVAC system is back online again. Time is money… Every hour the hospital is closed because HVAC issues can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Additionally, an HVAC failure could result in particles spread through the air, which can lead to damage of supplies and medical equipment. If something goes wrong that damages the contents in storage closets and rooms, a hospital could be facing millions of dollars in expenses for replacing these essential items.
As you can see, a hospital can’t function without a quality, reliable HVAC system. This process starts with the installation of quality equipment. Then, ongoing maintenance and preventive repair work are crucial to avoid potential problems in the future.
HOSPITAL HVAC REQUIREMENTS
When it comes to hospital HVAC, standard commercial systems don’t quite cut it. Industry guidelines and stringent standards need to be followed at all times because it affects the quality of medical care offered to each person.
Zoning the HVAC system is an important step to define the different spaces in the building and how they are used. For example, some people need to be kept at a certain level of isolation to avoid contagious, airborne contaminants from moving into rooms of patients with weak immune systems. Hospitals can have a higher concentration of pathogens that accumulate. Since it’s possible for these pathogens to travel through the air conditioning equipment, filtration, cleaning, and airflow management need to be considered.
Not only do you need to evaluate how the equipment will manage indoor air quality, but you also need to think about future repair and maintenance requirements. If an HVAC system goes down, it could be catastrophic for the business, and leave patients in an uncomfortable – or even health-threatening situation. Preventive maintenance is a critical aspect that needs to be considered in all hospital environments.
Certain building code requirements must be met at the time of installation. Then, an experienced HVAC crew is essential to keep the equipment running at optimal performance. This maintenance is important for comfort in the building and protecting against an unhealthy environment. At the same time, the performance of a hospital HVAC system will affect utility costs – while playing a role in available profit margins.
BENEFITS OF HVAC PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE IN HOSPITALS
HVAC system designs are the foundation for providing the hospital years of good performance in the future. Once a good hospital HVAC system is installed, then the next step is to maintain consistency with preventative maintenance going forward. These ongoing tasks protect the quality of the air supply and reduce the risk of a full system failure.
Here are some of the benefits you can expect from preventive maintenance for hospital HVAC systems:
- Minimize Infection Transmission: As mentioned above, the wrong airflow could pose a threat to patients in the hospital. If pathogens are transmitted through the air, it could expose the illness to people with weakened immune systems. Hospital HVAC systems have good ventilation and HEPA filtration to capture infectious particles. But ongoing maintenance and monitoring are necessary for these systems, such as filter replacement and coil cleaning.
- Protect Equipment: Sensitive medical equipment needs special environmental requirements to ensure the performance and safety of the equipment. When the HVAC system is functioning properly, it minimizes damage to millions of dollars in equipment and supplies. System hazards can often be avoided with proper climate control, including both humidity and temperature.
- Energy Conservation: The performance of a hospital HVAC system affects the amount that is spent on utility bills. These details matter, because an HVAC system that is bogged down and unmaintained uses more energy, resulting in higher utility costs that cut into the hospital’s profit margins. Energy efficiency matters because it adds up to high expenses (or savings!) over time.
- Patient and Staff Satisfaction: The satisfaction of your patients will have a long-term impact on the success of the hospital. People need to be comfortable and at ease when they are in the hospital, and temperature management affects each person’s experience. Additionally, staff members are affected by climate control, which has an overall impact on their job satisfaction. When you are maintaining an environment that is comfortable and inviting, then it leaves people feeling good about their experience in the hospital.
- Avoid Downtime: A few hours of a malfunctioning HVAC system results in a significant loss in profits for the hospital. Preventative maintenance helps the organization avoid these issues at all costs. Investing in maintenance and preventive repair is a small price to pay to keep the operating rooms functioning and the emergency rooms in business.
The truth is that you can’t avoid all catastrophes. But there are steps that can be followed to reduce your risk and maintain the safest environment for everyone who walks through the hospital doors. If you want to maintain a trusted medical unit, then you need to be proactive about caring for the building, the equipment, and your people.
AIRLOGIX IS YOUR TRUSTED HOSPITAL HVAC PARTNER
At AirLogix, we understand the unique HVAC requirements to be met in a hospital setting. Whether you need HVAC healthcare design for a new installation or you need help with maintenance and on an existing hospital HVAC system, then we are here to assist.
Since our team specializes in hospital and commercial HVAC installation and repair, we can provide high-quality specialized services that ensure optimal performance in your building. Hiring the experts gives you peace of mind in knowing that every maintenance, repair, and installation is done correctly. At the same time, you can avoid expensive costs in the future by avoiding issues that could have been prevented.
We encourage you to reach out to learn about hospital HVAC services right away. Don’t wait until the equipment fails or starts having problems, because you will already be losing customers and money at that point. Instead, talk to us about the options to design a comprehensive maintenance plan. This approach helps you catch common problems before they happen – which saves you money in the long run.
When you choose AirLogix, you can take routine maintenance off your to-do list. We are proactive in staying current with the manufacturer’s recommendations and the industry best practices for hospital HVAC repair. Contact us to learn more about these services. We’re happy to provide an estimate for the specific services that are required for your business. We are here to help your hospital maintain a quality, reliable HVAC system that works through all seasons and weather conditions.