HVAC Can Help Students and Schools

Many students will be going from home-schooling back to their brick-and-mortar schools in the fall. After an interrupted school year, this is their opportunity to get back on track; but poor air quality and temperature may be more prevalent in schools than many realize. This can have an impact on the students’ focus and progress. How can proper HVAC in schools help both our teachers and our students?

Preexisting Conditions

Students with allergies, asthma, and other breathing-related ailments are vulnerable to the air quality at their schools. If your student’s condition acts up upon entering the classroom, it could be a red flag about the school’s air quality! Another red flag to consider is after they come home from school; if they’re constantly complaining about headaches, they’re quite possibly not getting the air quality they need while they’re at school.

Many HVAC systems are now built with energy efficiency AND air quality in mind, which can be adjusted automatically depending on the weather and temperature. This will ensure that pollutants from outside (smoke, pollen, dust, and dirt) are not brought into the air students and staff are breathing in.

Teacher and Student Needs

Much like an office space or store where proper A/C can be beneficial for a number of reasons, schools can benefit from a proper HVAC system too. Even though school is typically out in the summer months, there are still maintenance and general upkeep of the school building to consider.

In warmer weather, both teacher and student performance can decline sharply if either are uncomfortable. The more uncomfortable they are, the less likely they’ll want to stay seated during lessons, and the more distracted they will be from what they’re supposed to be doing. This is why HVAC installation is recommended for all schools; so everyone at the school can stay focused, resulting in better grades and happier staff.

Computers at School Need Help Too!

Teachers and students aren’t the only thing that can overheat without HVAC. Computers need A/C too! If there’s no cooling system in place, overheating is more likely to happen. When a computer is overheated, its most sensitive parts are more likely to warp and be damaged in the process.

Nowadays, almost all schools now use computers to access the information they need, such as book titles, references, and more. If you want your students and staff to have access to the things they need while studying, ventilation and cooling in these areas is not only helpful, but necessary.

So Why Don’t All Schools Have HVAC?

With all of these benefits in mind, why are there still so many schools that don’t have an HVAC system? There are 2 main reasons:

Budget. Brand new HVAC installations within school buildings can range in the tens or even hundreds of thousands. Other expenses like textbooks, staffing, and other facility upgrades may be why the budget is not being spent on HVAC.

School Size and Condition. In addition to the cost of the system itself, schools need to be able to pay for individual wall units, update the electrical wiring, and many other components simply to install a new system. For some schools, that’s a lot of work and a lot of money that they might not have.

While installing an HVAC system in schools isn’t always a requirement, it’s important to be aware of all the potential liabilities and issues that may come up with not having one installed at your school. There is already so much that students and teachers worry about daily – passing their tests, coming up with curriculum, trying to stay healthy during cold season. Let’s not add poor air quality or an uncomfortable environment to their misery!

If your school is in need of proper heating and cooling, or there is a system in place but it’s not working the way it’s supposed to, get in touch with US Air. We can get you started in the process of adding or upgrading your school’s HVAC system.