Modern commercial buildings have complicated HVAC systems to maintain a comfortable air quality through the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Since buildings are so large nowadays, and they cram in as many people as possible, the people working inside must have “conditioned” air, so they can have a comfortable and safe working environment. The term “conditioned” air means the air is clean, free of particles, and odor-free, while the temperature, humidity, and movement of the air is within comfort ranges. Without these controls, you’re going to have a lot of unhappy workers who can’t focus on their work.
Humans can respond positively or negatively to their work environments. One of the top reasons for complaints is the air quality. Dusty dirty air filters can cause allergies to act up. When the air is too hot or too cold, people will not be comfortable. If the humidity is too too low, people’s skin and sinuses will dry out, causing illnesses.
It can be tricky to make all workers happy in an office building, but there’s generally an acceptable range of comfort. If something breaks within the air conditioning unit, it’s going to take the air quality right out of the comfort zone, and possibly even into the hazard zone. Not only will you have staff complaining that it’s too hot, or too cold, but there are many regulations governing the level of heat in the summer time, in a building in Canada or the USA. If levels are unacceptable, that forces the business to shut down, until the air conditioning unit can be fixed.