New ways buildings can help you stay healthy

Here’s a fact for you: Americans spend 90 percent of their lives indoors.

That statistic, from a widely cited EPA report, was based on the old normal, before most of us stopped traveling, dining out, and commuting to work – so it may indeed be a bit higher than that.

This lifestyle change makes it more important than ever that indoor environments help protect people’s health. While we’ve recently learned that increased ventilation can help improve cognitive performance and sleep quality, now there’s even greater focus on how HVAC systems can help remove bacteria and viruses from the air. And technologies like touchless building controls have gone from nice-to-have conveniences to must-have protections to stem the spread of coronavirus.

Buildings not only need to be smart; they need to be smart about the health of their occupants. As people return to work, hotels greet guests, schools welcome back students and shopping malls and other public places reopen, it’s essential that their buildings work for them – that they’re equipped with the solutions and services necessary to help ensure a healthier indoor environment (as recently discussed on CNBC). That means improving filtration, as well as increasing ventilation rates and the percentage of outdoor air circulating through the system. And, because viruses can remain on surfaces, it means offering app-based touch-less solutions to reduce touch points and help reduce the risk of transmission, while also helping to ensure safer and more secure access.

That’s why we recently launched Carrier’s Healthy Buildings Program. It’s an expanded suite of advanced solutions to help deliver healthier, safer, more efficient and productive indoor environments across key verticals including commercial offices, healthcare, hospitality, education, retail and marine. Our goal: To lead the way in enabling the healthy indoor environments needed to help improve both public health and economic health.

We’re all in this together and we’re here to do our part.