AprilAire Partners

Coronavirus – Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Protection

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UPDATE: We’ve recently added a brand-new flyer for contractors to use with customers that provides an overview of the preventative measures covered below, as well as solutions they can provide to help create healthy air in the home. Check it out HERE, or order it from the AprilAire Partner Toolbox.
Coronavirus or COVID-19 is a part of a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to MERS and SARS.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties. Health organizations around the world are still investigating this disease, but the common thought is that the disease is spread through close contact with others.
How Coronavirus spreads

The disease is thought to spread from person-to-person contact. Touching surfaces that have been used by those with the disease is not considered to be the main way the virus spreads. The best known preventive action is to not be in contact with someone who has the disease, although people can still spread the disease even when they are not showing symptoms.
Due to the social aspect of your job as a contractor, you can take extra steps to help protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
If you are feeling ill, do everything you can to avoid being in close contact with other people or wear a mask to help protect others.
There is currently not a known vaccine for COVID-19, but there are several everyday preventative actions you can take to avoid the spread of disease and to avoid contaminating yourself.
Listed below are several steps offered by the World Health Organization to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus.

 

Protect yourself

Follow the 6 tips below from the WHO to protect yourself from COVID-19.

  1. Maintain a distance of at least three feet between people
  2. Avoid touching your face.
  3. Use a flexed elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing. Dispose of tissue in the trash afterward.
  4. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds; especially after going to the bathroom, eating, blowing your nose, sneezing, or coughing.
  5. If a handwashing station isn’t readily available use an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
  6. Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces by using a household cleaning spray or wipe.

 

Here are a few other ideas to help protect you and your coworkers as you go from job to job in your area.
It may be difficult to be near a handwashing station so you should start carrying a bottle of hand sanitizer with you on the job, wearing gloves, not shaking hands and maintaining a distance of at least six feet when you’re communicating with people.
Instead of handing out physical copies of guides and sheets, you may want to look at sharing these assets digitally to help keep you and your clients healthy. Eliminating as much physical contact as possible is the best way to help protect yourself and others from his novel disease.

 

Stay up-to-date

To stay up-to-date on this disease, continue to monitor the CDC website and the WHO websites. These sites will have updated information on travel, what to do if you get the coronavirus and best practices for prevention.
You should also check with your company’s Human Resources department to see if they have any updated guidelines or procedures in dealing with the coronavirus especially if you plan on traveling out of the country.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/

https://www.who.int/home

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd

https://openwho.org/courses/eprotect-acute-respiratory-infections

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/prevention-treatment.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/steps-when-sick.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html

https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-03/documents/sars-cov-2-list_03-03-2020.pdf

 

Healthy Clean Air | Healthy Fresh Air

The Growing Need for HVAC Solutions in the Face of Allergy Season

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As an HVAC contractor, you’re no stranger to the challenges posed by seasonal allergies for your homeowners. However, what you may not realize is that the worsening allergy season is not just a personal inconvenience but a symptom of a larger issue—climate change.

 

With temperatures rising consistently year after year, pollen seasons are becoming longer and more intense. Recent studies indicate a significant shift in the duration and intensity of allergy seasons, with pollen counts soaring to record levels.

 

Amidst these changing environmental conditions, homeowners are seeking relief. As an HVAC contractor, you can offer solutions beyond conventional symptom management. By providing tailored HVAC systems and services, you can help homeowners adapt their indoor environment to minimize the impact of allergens.

 

Addressing the Root Cause

While medications offer temporary relief, they fail to address the underlying issue of Indoor Air Quality. You can implement solutions that tackle the root cause of allergies—poor IAQ.

 

Temporary allergy relief is neither sustainable nor cost-effective for homeowners – spending up to $16,000 on treatments in their lifetime, there’s a clear need to shift focus toward addressing the root cause. By advocating for proactive solutions like Healthy Air, homeowners can invest in long-term relief from allergy symptoms while ensuring the health and productivity of everyone in the home, all while avoiding the financial strain of continuous temporary treatment.

 

Ready to Deliver Healthy Air?

What key steps can you take to reduce seasonal allergy symptoms for homeowners and protect them from the dangers of poor Indoor Air Quality? Discover our top Healthy Air solutions:

 

AprilAire Whole-House Fresh Air Ventilation

Indoor air is often five times more polluted than the air outside. With an AprilAire Whole-House Fresh Air Ventilation System, airborne contaminants in the home can be diluted as it brings fresh air into the home.

 

AprilAire Whole-House Air Purification

Designed to trap and eliminate common airborne pollutants, like pollen and dust, an AprilAire Whole-House Air Purifier protects the home while extending the life of their current HVAC system.

 

AprilAire MERV 16 Air Filters

Install the gold standard of air filters! AprilAire MERV 16 Air Filters clear the air by capturing up to 99%* of allergy and asthma triggers.

 

AprilAire is Healthy Air

As HVAC contractors, you’re on the front lines of ensuring our homes are havens of clean air. With longer and stronger allergy seasons predicted, the American Lung Association emphasizes that climate change is a significant health emergency. Not only are allergy seasons getting worse, but wildfires and flooding are making it even more difficult to maintain clean air indoors.

 

Despite these challenges, you can help homeowners take crucial steps to protect their homes, families, and budgets. AprilAire whole-house Healthy Air solutions not only enhance Indoor Air Quality but also offer these transformative benefits:

 

  • Better sleep
  • Reduced illness
  • Alleviated allergies
  • Increased home value
  • Improved energy efficiency

 

Contact your local AprilAire distributor to order AprilAire Healthy Air solutions. Need help locating your AprilAire distributor? Visit our distributor locator.

 

*Contaminants removed based on air passing through the filtering system.

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AprilAire, the Leader in Healthy Air Solutions, Reduces by 66% Environmental Impact of Dehumidifiers

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MADISON, Wis. (March 25, 2024) – AprilAire, the leader in whole-house Healthy Air solutions, announces it is once again advancing its Dehumidifier lineup to be more intuitive, easy to connect, simple to use and maintain, and environmentally friendly.

 

Customers fuel the AprilAire passion to continually raise the bar. In 2024, AprilAire is excited to phase in the following new features and benefits to its market-leading Dehumidifier product offering:

 

First, and most significantly, AprilAire is upgrading the refrigerant in its Dehumidifiers to reduce by 66% the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of all the models in its lineup. The transition to R32 is underway and projected to wrap up across the full product line by year-end.

 

Look for this seal on AprilAire Dehumidifier packaging to indicate the product is more environmentally friendly and contains the refrigerant R32.

 

 

In addition, AprilAire continues to make its Dehumidifiers easier to use and maintain by eliminating the On/Off switch in non-hardwired models, as well as introducing a new, tool-less filter door in the E080 and E100 models.

 

“Customers will continue to experience the same superior product performance and reliability they have come to expect from AprilAire Dehumidifiers. By providing a more environmentally friendly product, we strengthen our brand leverage in the whole-home category and retain our position as the leader in delivering best-in-class Healthy Air solutions to dehumidify homes,” said Katie Zagorski, AprilAire Senior Product Manager, Dehumidification.

 

About AprilAire

 

AprilAire is on a mission to make homes healthy. We believe everyone deserves Healthy Air and envision a future with Healthy Air in every home. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin since 1954, AprilAire has been creating and delivering Healthy Air solutions to manage air purity, humidity, fresh air supply, temperature, and mitigate radon and viruses in all types of homes, and all environments. We have an unparalleled reputation as the brand of choice among tens of thousands of professional contractors and make a Healthy Air difference in the lives of the millions of families who rely on our products every day. To learn how to turn a house into a Healthy Home with the AprilAire Healthy Air System® visit www.aprilaire.com.

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An Update on Indoor Air Quality from the Project Sustainability Podcast

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As a contractor, you know that Indoor Air Quality is a hot topic these days. With more and more people spending time indoors, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that the air inside homes and businesses for your customers is as clean as possible. The Project Sustainability Podcast is here to help.

 

Hosted by a team of experts in sustainability and environmentalism, the Project Sustainability Podcast aims to educate and entertain listeners about a wide range of topics related to the environment. Their episode, “An Update on Indoor Air Quality,” features AprilAire Senior Training and Development Manager of AprilAire Academy Chris Howells participating in a discussion on the many factors that can affect the air quality inside our homes and buildings.

 

From volatile organic compounds to particulate matter to the impact of the air in the home on your customers’ pets, Chris and Project Sustainability’s Peggy Smedley cover a broad range of information and provide an engaging, enjoyable conversation on environmental issues and Indoor Air Quality.

 

This episode offers valuable insights into how you can continue to improve the air quality in your customers’ homes as well as practical tips for choosing the right air cleaner for different spaces and advice on how to improve ventilation and humidity control. Chris also emphasizes the importance of taking a holistic approach to Indoor Air Quality—there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and a combination of different strategies may be needed depending on the specific circumstances of the home and its location. For contractors, this is an important reminder that improving Indoor Air Quality requires a nuanced understanding of the unique needs of each client.

 

Tune in for a resource to stay informed on the latest trends and best practices in Indoor Air Quality plus the impact on the HVAC industry. If you are looking to stay ahead of the curve and provide the best possible service to your clients, give the Project Sustainability Podcast a listen today.