{"id":35274,"date":"2020-09-14T14:28:15","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T18:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=35274"},"modified":"2020-09-15T13:24:41","modified_gmt":"2020-09-15T17:24:41","slug":"after-initial-lull-hvac-companies-are-busy-installing-systems-that-filter-the-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/after-initial-lull-hvac-companies-are-busy-installing-systems-that-filter-the-air\/","title":{"rendered":"After Initial Lull, HVAC Companies Are Busy Installing Systems That Filter The Air"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Ginna DeVit, a service technician with Thermal Associates, an HVAC company, sits behind the wheel of one of the company\u2019s six service vehicles.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Christine Graf
\nThe COVID-19 pandemic is causing businesses and homeowners to become increasingly concerned about indoor air quality and the spread of airborne infectious diseases. This concern is having a direct impact on the global HVAC industry.
\nMany Capital Region companies experienced a significant slowdown in business at the beginning of the pandemic. Some, including Superior Co-Op HVAC of Cambridge, closed during this period. According to owner Gerald Davis, his company was closed for two months but experienced a surge in business after they reopened. He hired an additional employee and added a truck to his fleet to keep up with demand.
\n\u201cWhen the governor closed down March 23, we closed up,\u201d said Davis. \u201cI laid everybody off because I didn\u2019t know what was going to happen. In May, we were able to open back up and the floodgates opened up on us.\u201d
\nDavis attributes the increase in demand to a theory that people who aren\u2019t spending money on travel and entertainment are putting money into their homes. Superior works exclusively with Mitsubishi renewable energy systems, and generous company rebates have prompted homeowners to switch to renewable energy.
\n\u201cWe had a big push for air conditioning this year. People are spending more time at home, so they want more comfort,\u201d he said. \u201cWe work a lot with rebates, and a lot of people have also been looking to switch their homes over to renewable energy. The governor is really pushing people to go to renewable energy, and you can heat your home without using any fossil fuel. We\u2019re now backed up through October just installing equipment\u201d
\nG.A. Bove & Sons of Mechanicville has experienced a similar scenario. Although the company did not shut down operations, business slowed when the governor mandated the closure of non-essential businesses.
\nAccording to CEO John Bove Jr., \u201cAs soon as everything got shut down, a lot of our customers that had work scheduled got nervous. A lot of people were getting laid off or furloughed. We also have a lot of people who get their annual maintenance and inspection in the spring. They didn\u2019t want us in their homes\u2014especially the senior citizens. We went through all of the protocols. We had masks and sanitizer and followed the six-foot rule, but we understood. April was a bad month for us. In May, things started opening up a little bit. And in June, what we saw is that things really took off for replacements. A lot of that was because of the stimulus money.\u201d
\nEven though business has rebounded, the pandemic continues to impact Bove\u2019s operations. Manufacturing shutdowns and trucking issues have caused long waits for HVAC equipment orders.
\n\u201cEverything is just delayed right now,\u201d said Bove. \u201cAnd there is an incredible demand. Our demand is up at least 25 or 30 percent.\u201d
\nBove didn\u2019t furlough any employees, but some opted out for medical reasons. Because of the supplemental unemployment employees were receiving, Bove faced a challenge that has been common for many industries. It was difficult for him to get some employees to return to work because they were making more on unemployment.
\nDavis experienced a similar situation in his business.
\nAlthough Glens Falls\u2019 Thermal Associates experienced a slight slowdown in service at the height of the pandemic, partner Marj DeVit said the new construction side of the business remained strong. The company hired two additional employees to help meet demand.
\n\u201cWe had a slowdown in service in the beginning, but we were still quite busy because there are so many people building homes up this way. We also work in the Adirondacks, and we found that we had work coming out of our ears. I think that is very common with the construction industry. We are really, really busy. We\u2019ve also seen a lot of demand for the MERV-13 filters.\u201d
\nThe American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers and the\u00a0CDC recommends the use of MERV-13 filters. They are able to filter extremely small particles out of the air and may help minimize the spread of COVID-19.
\n\u201cAny places that have large gatherings have been seeking us out to get MERV 13 filters, but they are in really short supply and we are having problems getting them,\u201d said DeVit. \u201cWe also have to be careful that it\u2019s not going to damage the heating system because it puts constriction on the air flow. So people have to be certain that their system is applicable for it and that they aren\u2019t going to cause a bigger problem.\u201d
\nPotential problems are serious and could lead to carbon monoxide leaks. For that reason, DeVit said it is important that MERV-13 filters are only installed by HVAC professionals.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019ve never pushed the MERV-13 filters. With commercial equipment, it can be much more useful. But for homeowners, we recommend that they get proper HEPA equipment instead of just changing your filter.\u201d
\nDeVit said some customers have asked to have UV lights installed into their ductwork. Although the use of UV lights has a proven track record of killing various microorganism, it is unknown if it can kill the coronavirus.
\n\u201cThere again, you have to have them properly installed and your system has to be appropriate for it,\u201d said DeVit. \u201cGoing forward, I think we are going to see more people putting in UV lights and HEPA filter systems which don\u2019t restrict the air flow and don\u2019t compromise your system.\u201d
\nBove said he has had few residential customers express interest in UV lights, but he has received inquiries from some small restaurant owners in the North Country. Although his company has installed the lights, he said they are now virtually impossible to find. Before COVID, supply far exceeded the limited demand for the product.
\nDavis has not had any customers request UV lights, but he said customers are expressing concern about air quality. He recommends air scrubbers, which can be installed on the Mitsubishi HVAC systems he sells. These scrubbers filter contaminants such as allergens, viruses, and bacteria from the air.
\nAlthough COVID concerns will eventually pass, local professionals expect air quality concerns to persist. It is likely that the next generation of HVAC equipment will be designed to help combat the airborne spread of infectious diseases.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Christine Graf The COVID-19 pandemic is causing businesses and homeowners to become increasingly concerned about indoor air quality and the spread of airborne infectious diseases. This concern is having a direct impact on the global HVAC industry. Many Capital Region companies experienced a significant slowdown in business at the beginning of the pandemic. Some, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":35275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-energy"],"yoast_head":"\r\nAfter Initial Lull, HVAC Companies Are Busy Installing Systems That Filter The Air - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2020\/09\/after-initial-lull-hvac-companies-are-busy-installing-systems-that-filter-the-air\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After Initial Lull, HVAC Companies Are Busy Installing Systems That Filter The Air - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Christine Graf The COVID-19 pandemic is causing businesses and homeowners to become increasingly concerned about indoor air quality and the spread of airborne infectious diseases. This concern is having a direct impact on the global HVAC industry. Many Capital Region companies experienced a significant slowdown in business at the beginning of the pandemic. 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