In a post-pandemic world with quarantines, lockdowns, and extra time spent indoors, a heightened awareness around air quality and viruses, have caused many to place added attention on ventilation as a way to minimize the spread of COVID-19 as well as protect themselves and their families against freak weather such as the Saharan dust storms which regularly engulf the Caribbean region.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the risk of the spread of the virus is higher in crowded and poorly ventilated spaces where people spend long periods of time together in close proximity. Improving indoor ventilation can reduce the risk of the virus spreading indoors.
Research by The Porter and Chester Institute, a US based technical school, outlined how air conditioning units works in relation to improved indoor ventilation. The first element to be acknowledged is that air conditioners do not draw fresh air from outside into the area they are trying to cool. Split AC units use a condenser, located in the outside unit, and an evaporator, located in the inside unit. The air within the target area is drawn into the inside unit, filtered, and cooled by a temperature exchange by the refrigerant filled evaporator. The refrigerant warms and is moved to the outside unit, where it is converted back into a liquid to begin the process over again.
Most air conditioners have basic filters that capture dust and fine particles in the air, which would be from the area where the AC unit is located. Some filters are even removable. According to The Porter and Chester Institute the effectiveness of the filter, if so equipped, is dictated by the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) scale. MERV is used to evaluate the efficiency of an air filter based on how effective it is at catching particles of varying sizes and runs on a scale from 1 to 20. The higher the number on the filter, the more effective it is at stopping particles. Home and business users need to check