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How to Improve Indoor Air Quality: 7 Effective Tips for NorCal

Learn how to improve indoor air quality in commercial buildings with seasonal HVAC adjustments, preventative maintenance for winter, and wildfire season tips.
How to Improve Indoor Air Quality: 10 Tips for Northern California

Maintaining excellent indoor air quality in multistory commercial buildings is essential, especially in Northern California where colder winters and wildfire seasons pose unique challenges. Entrepreneurs in commercial real estate often wonder how to improve indoor air quality effectively while ensuring energy efficiency and cost savings. This guide highlights seasonal HVAC adjustments, preventative maintenance tips for colder months, and strategies for managing air quality during wildfire season.

Table of Contents

Why Indoor Air Quality Matters for Commercial Buildings

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is critical for occupant health, productivity, and safety. Poor air quality can result in respiratory issues, allergies, and reduced comfort, leading to dissatisfied tenants and increased complaints. For building owners and managers, understanding how to improve indoor air quality is a vital step toward creating healthier, more sustainable environments.

Seasonal HVAC Adjustments for Optimal Air Quality

Your building’s HVAC system plays a central role in maintaining good air quality. Seasonal adjustments ensure the system performs efficiently year-round:

  • Winter Adjustments: Increase humidification levels to counteract dry winter air and prevent respiratory irritation. Ensure that heat exchangers are functioning optimally.
  • Summer Adjustments: Regularly inspect and clean evaporator and condenser coils to ensure effective cooling and pollutant removal.

By tailoring HVAC operations to seasonal needs, you can improve efficiency and tenant comfort while addressing IAQ concerns.

Preventative Maintenance for Colder Winters

Preventative HVAC maintenance is essential for colder months to avoid costly repairs and system breakdowns. Key tasks include:

  1. Inspecting and replacing air filters to prevent dust and debris accumulation.
  2. Cleaning ductwork to eliminate hidden contaminants and improve airflow.
  3. Checking for and sealing air leaks to maintain consistent indoor temperatures.
  4. Testing carbon monoxide detectors for tenant safety.

Implementing these measures reduces strain on your HVAC system and ensures a healthy indoor environment during winter.

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality During Wildfire Season

Wildfires in Northern California introduce fine particulate matter and harmful toxins into the air. To combat this, follow these tips:

  • Upgrade Air Filters: Use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to trap smoke particles and allergens.
  • Seal Building Envelopes: Inspect and seal windows, doors, and vents to prevent smoke infiltration.
  • Monitor Outdoor Air Quality: Use air quality monitoring apps to adjust ventilation settings during peak pollution periods.
  • Install Air Purifiers: Equip common areas with air purifiers that include activated carbon filters for added protection.

Tips for Continuous Improvement

Beyond seasonal adjustments and wildfire preparedness, building owners should adopt long-term IAQ strategies:

  • Introduce plants with air-purifying properties in lobbies and communal spaces.
  • Adopt green building practices, such as using low-VOC materials and energy-efficient systems.
  • Schedule annual IAQ assessments to identify and address potential issues proactively.

Questions and Answers: How to Improve Indoor Air Quality

What are the best air filters for commercial buildings?

The best air filters for commercial buildings are HEPA filters and MERV-13 or higher-rated filters. HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are designed to capture 99.97% of airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns, including smoke, pollen, and mold. MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) 13-rated filters are also highly effective in trapping fine particulates such as dust, allergens, and airborne bacteria.

During wildfire season, upgrading to these filters is particularly beneficial because they can significantly reduce the infiltration of harmful smoke particles. Regularly replacing filters and ensuring they are appropriately sized for your HVAC system is essential for optimal performance.

How often should HVAC systems be maintained?

HVAC systems in commercial buildings should undergo preventative maintenance at least quarterly. This includes inspecting and cleaning components like air filters, ductwork, and coils. Filters may need replacement more frequently, particularly during wildfire season or peak heating and cooling periods, to ensure optimal airflow and pollutant capture.

Annual inspections should include a comprehensive assessment of the system’s overall performance, checking for issues such as air leaks, thermostat calibration, and energy efficiency. Regular maintenance not only improves indoor air quality but also extends the lifespan of the equipment and reduces energy costs.

Can indoor plants help improve air quality?

Yes, indoor plants can contribute to improved air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, as well as filtering out certain volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Plants such as peace lilies, spider plants, and snake plants are particularly effective at removing common pollutants like benzene, formaldehyde, and xylene from the air.

While plants alone cannot replace robust air filtration systems, they serve as a complementary strategy to enhance the aesthetic appeal of a space while slightly improving indoor air quality. In commercial buildings, consider adding plants to lobbies, conference rooms, and other shared spaces for their air-purifying benefits.

How can building managers improve air quality during wildfire season?

Improving air quality during wildfire season requires proactive measures to minimize the infiltration of outdoor smoke and pollutants. Building managers should:

  • Install or upgrade HVAC filters to HEPA or MERV-13 ratings to trap fine particles effectively.
  • Seal building envelopes, including doors, windows, and vents, to prevent smoke from entering indoor spaces.
  • Utilize air purifiers equipped with activated carbon filters, which are excellent at removing odors and harmful gases associated with wildfire smoke.
  • Monitor real-time outdoor air quality using apps like AirNow or PurpleAir and adjust HVAC settings to recirculate indoor air instead of pulling in outside air during peak pollution times. By implementing these measures, managers can significantly mitigate the impact of wildfire smoke on tenants and occupants.

What is the role of ventilation in maintaining indoor air quality?

Ventilation plays a crucial role in maintaining good indoor air quality by ensuring a continuous supply of fresh air while removing stale or polluted air. Proper ventilation systems dilute indoor pollutants such as VOCs, allergens, and carbon dioxide, preventing their accumulation.

In commercial buildings, building managers should balance ventilation with energy efficiency by incorporating energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) or heat recovery ventilators (HRVs), which exchange indoor and outdoor air without significant energy loss.

During wildfire season or in high-pollution areas, it’s advisable to minimize outdoor air intake and rely more on air filtration systems to maintain a healthy indoor environment.

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Learning how to improve indoor air quality is a critical responsibility for commercial real estate entrepreneurs. By implementing seasonal HVAC adjustments, performing preventative maintenance, and adopting proactive strategies for wildfire season, you can ensure a healthy, comfortable, and energy-efficient environment for tenants. For more tips and expert advice, contact us today!

Privacy Policy

Iron Mechanical – Candidate Privacy Notice

Iron Mechanical is committed to respecting your online privacy and recognizes your need for appropriate protection and management of any personally identifiable information (“Personal Information”) you share with us.

Iron Mechanical is a “data controller”. This means that we are responsible for deciding how we hold and use personal information about you. This privacy notice makes you aware of how and why your personal data will be used, namely for the purposes of the Iron Mechanical employment recruitment process, and how long it will usually be retained.

Data protection principles

We will comply with data protection law and principles, which means that your data will be:

  • Used lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent way.
  • Collected only for valid purposes that we have clearly explained to you and not used in any way that is incompatible with those purposes.
  • Relevant to the purposes we have told you about and limited only to those purposes.
  • Accurate and kept up to date.
  • Kept only as long as necessary for the purposes we have told you about.
  • Kept securely.

The kind of information we hold about you

In connection with your application for work with us, we will collect, store, and use the following categories of personal information about you:

  • The information you have provided to us in your curriculum vitae and cover letter.
  • The information you have provided on our application form, including name, title, address, telephone number, personal email address, employment history, and qualifications.
  • Any information you provide to us during an interview.

How is your personal information collected?

We collect personal information about candidates from the following sources:

  • You, the candidate.
  • Recruitment agencies and vendors we have agreed on terms in place with
  • Professional networking profile
  • Employees and others who refer you to us


How we will use information about you?

We will use the personal information we collect about you to:

  • Assess your skills, qualifications, and suitability for the role.
  • Carry out background and reference checks, where applicable.
  • Communicate with you about the recruitment process.
  • Keep records related to our hiring processes.
  • Comply with legal or regulatory requirements.
  • We also need to process your personal information to decide whether to enter into a contract of employment with you.

Having received your CV, cover letter, and/or your application form, we will then process that information to decide whether you meet the basic requirements to be screened by our in-house recruitment team for the role. If you do, we will decide whether your application is strong enough to invite you for an interview, be it by telephone, in person, or by other electronic means. If we decide to engage you for an interview, we will use the information you provide to us at the interview to decide whether to offer you the role. If we decide to offer you the role, we will then take up references before confirming your appointment.

If you fail to provide personal information

If you fail to provide information when requested, which is necessary for us to consider your application (such as evidence of qualifications or work history), we will not be able to process your application successfully and we will not be able to take your application further.

Automated decision-making

You will not be subject to decisions that will have a significant impact on you based solely on automated decision-making.

Data sharing With third parties

  • We will only share your personal information with the following third parties for the purposes of processing your application; this may involve sharing your information with other companies within our own group if we consider they may have other relevant vacancies and only if you consent to such sharing
  • All our third-party service providers and other entities in the group are required to take appropriate security measures to protect your personal information in line with our policies. We do not allow our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes. We only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with our instructions.

Data security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal information from being accidentally lost, used, or accessed in an unauthorized way, altered, or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal information to those employees, agents, contractors, and other third parties who have a business need-to-know. They will only process your personal information on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected data security breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a suspected breach where we are legally required to do so.

Data retention (how long will you use my information for)

  • We will retain your personal information for a period of 2 years after we have communicated to you our decision about whether to appoint you to the role. We will retain your personal information so that we can make you aware of any suitable alternative roles that arise during this period.
  • We further retain your personal information for that period so that we can show, in the event of a legal claim, that we have not discriminated against candidates on prohibited grounds and that we have conducted the recruitment exercise in a fair and transparent way. After this period, we will securely destroy your personal information in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
  • If you would prefer that we did not retain your personal information, you can notify us at any time and we will delete your personal information.


Rights of access, correction, erasure, and restriction

Under certain circumstances, by law, you have the right to:

  • Request access to your personal information (commonly known as a “data subject access request”). This enables you to receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you and to check that we are lawfully processing it.
  • Request correction of the personal information that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate information we hold about you corrected.
  • Request erasure of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal information where there is no good reason for us to continue to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal information where you have exercised your right to object to processing (see below).
  • Object to processing of your personal information where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground. You also have the right to object to where we are processing your personal information for direct marketing purposes.
  • Request the restriction of processing of your personal information. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal information about you, for example, if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.

Right to withdraw consent

When you applied for this role, you provided consent to us processing your personal information for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. You have the right to withdraw your consent for processing for that purpose at any time.

To withdraw your consent, please contact the Recruitment Manager. Once we have received notification that you have withdrawn your consent, we will no longer process your application, and, subject to our policies, we will dispose of your personal data securely.

Data protection officer

We have appointed a data protection officer (DPO) to oversee compliance with this privacy notice. If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how we handle your personal information, please contact the DPO by email, at info@ironmechanical.com.

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