It doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict that demand for Air Handling Units (AHUs) for new builds and retrofits will skyrocket over the next decade. Climate change will drive the need for more and more efficient new HVAC systems. HVAC systems in existing buildings will also need upgraded circulation and filtration to cope with post-pandemic air quality standards that are already in the works.
This all sounds like great news if you are a custom AHU manufacturer. But this demand will strain the ability of AHU manufacturers to respond, because let’s admit it, the way our industry designs, sells and builds AHUs is time-consuming. Up until now, that hasn’t been a huge problem. New construction projects typically move at a pace that doesn’t outstrip AHU production cycles. But that pace will need to accelerate to cope with the sudden spike in demand to upgrade existing structures to current efficiency and public health standards. And that transition is not going to be easy for manufacturers who continue to do business as usual.