Are you maximising your warehouse ventilation? Ventilation is basically the process of expelling stale or contaminated air to the outside, and then drawing in fresh air to replace it.

The simplest way to ventilate a space is to open windows or doors, but this is not always practical in a warehouse environment. Mechanical ventilation systems on the other hand provide an active and efficient way of refreshing indoor air. Examples of these systems include roof fans, wall exhaust fans, inline ventilators and portable ventilation equipment.

Mechanical ventilation methods can also help reduce warehouse costs and improve your bottom line. Here’s how.

Warehouse ventilation can improve productivity

One of the main outcomes of adequate ventilation is that indoor air quality improves – becoming cleaner, purer and fresher.

In an unventilated space however, excessive heat and stale air can build up. This can leave workers feeling tired, lethargic and unwell, and slow down their productivity.

Making improvements to air quality is known to improve productivity in measurable ways. For example, Harvard research shows that exposure to indoor CO₂ and other pollutants leads to significantly lower cognitive scores in workers than environments where air quality is higher.

Better ventilation may reduce absenteeism

Absenteeism (and its more permanent cousin – staff turnover) can cost a business a lot of money. Improving air quality may help reduce sickness and absenteeism in your warehouse workers.

Decades of research shows that a healthier workplace environment improves workers’ wellbeing, and good quality ventilation is a significant factor in this. Some of the health outcomes include better quality sleep and fewer ‘sick building’ symptoms – such as headaches, sore throats, dry skin and muscle pain.

How warehouse ventilation can reduce cooling costs

Another way ventilation can save you money is by reducing cooling costs. In a warehouse or factory environment, hot air can build up from machinery and processes inside the building. Ventilation fans can extract hot air from the roof space and other areas, helping to mitigate heat build-up in the warehouse.

This then helps lower the level of cooling required of your air conditioning system or evaporative coolers, in turn reducing your running costs.

To find out more, get in touch with us for a discussion on how warehouse ventilation systems can save your business money.