The coronavirus pandemic increased consumer awareness of indoor air quality to its highest level. Average people became much more concerned about ventilation and filtration than ever before. That’s been a boon for the HVAC industry. The question now is, will this elevated interest in IAQ continue after the pandemic ends?

People who worked in this field for years expect it will. Consumers started paying more attention to what they were breathing in before the pandemic started. The rise in asthma and allergy diagnoses drove some of this.

Some home builders are adding IAQ products to their newest offerings, said John Ryan, chief strategy officer for Allergy Standards. Most people are putting solutions in existing homes, though. Ryan said that when seeking an IAQ solution, its best to work backward. A contractor needs to understand the occupancy and use of the home.

“The products have to be fit for purpose, designed correctly and then have an efficient and effective level of control so you can measure and trace the variance between air quality and energy consumption,” Ryan said.