Recently I was scrolling through LI and came across Christian Baca, who had an interesting posting on something in the HVAC space. I looked at his background … 20 years in the HVAC distribution (along with a detour into the elevator space!). Given the original intent of LI, networking, I reached out to get acquainted.

Earlier this week we had a great conversation and also spoke about the industry. He has a passion for HVAC and for distribution. Extremely knowledge. It was an “easy” conversation. I asked if he would be interested in contributing his thoughts to HVACRTrends readers with a goal of helping them accelerate growth / improve their business.

Not surprisingly, he said “yes” and mentioned that he was recently reading an article on how air quality affects health … and specifically heart health (which is a topic near and dear to my heart (pun intended) for personal reasons and I have a daughter who has in industrial IAQ machine in her office!)

Here’s Chrisitan’s insights, and ideas, on why IAQ is important and how sharing knowledge can help you increase sales.

IAQ, Your Health, and How the Two Drive Sales

I just read an article about indoor air quality directly affecting heart health.

Researchers presenting at the European Congress of Internal Medicine tracked heart failure patients in their own homes for a week, monitoring fine particle pollution alongside cardiac function and inflammation markers. The pollution levels inside their houses were linked to higher inflammation and changes in heart rhythm. Not outside. Inside.

That finding sits alongside a 2021 Harvard study published in Environmental Research Letters showing that office workers exposed to elevated PM2.5 and CO2 indoors demonstrated measurably lower cognitive function — slower decision-making, reduced focus, diminished performance. And a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in August 2025 found that one month of HEPA filter use lowered systolic blood pressure by nearly 3 points in adults living near busy roadways.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has long stated that Americans spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where pollutant concentrations frequently run 2 to 5 times higher than outdoors. The data keeps stacking up. The industry response has not kept pace.

A Real-World Reminder: This Week in Florida

As this article goes to press, a massive Saharan dust plume is moving across the Atlantic into Florida and the Gulf Coast. ABC News covered it on June 18, with NOAA confirming the Saharan Air Layer spans two to two-and-a-half miles thick in the atmosphere. It happens every summer, peaking June through mid-August.

The American Lung Association specifically advised Florida residents to close doors and windows, set HVAC systems to recirculate, and run air purifiers. Public health authorities including the CDC and National Weather Service flagged increased risk for children, the elderly, and those with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions.

Read that last sentence again. A major national health organization directed millions of Americans to activate their HVAC equipment because outdoor air had become a health hazard. That is a contractor conversation. Every single time.

And those fine particles don’t stay outside. Research confirms they enter through doors, windows, and HVAC systems and concentrate indoors. Florida homes during high-AQI seasons need filter changes 20 to 30 percent more frequently than homes in more stable air quality states.

The Market Opportunity Is Already Here

The U.S. indoor air quality market was valued at $10.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $12.9 billion by 2029. During 2020, U.S. air purifier sales grew 57 percent, crossing $1 billion, as pandemic demand outpaced supply within weeks. Distributors and contractors remember the calls — ten UV lights needed, none available. That wasn’t a supply chain failure. That was an industry flat-footed by demand it should have anticipated.

We are not in a pandemic. But respiratory threats, wildfire smoke events, and seasonal air quality emergencies continue to remind homeowners that the air inside their homes is something they can address. The demand driver is now perennial, not episodic.

IAQ Is Five Categories, Not One Product

The IAQ conversation encompasses filtration (MERV-rated filters, HEPA), purification (UV lights, bipolar ionization, photocatalytic oxidation or PCO), ventilation (energy recovery ventilators and heat recovery ventilators, or ERVs and HRVs), humidity control (whole-home humidifiers and dehumidifiers), and air quality monitoring (PM2.5, VOC, and CO2 sensors). Every category sits on top of equipment contractors are already installing. No additional truck roll. No separate sales call.

The strategic value extends beyond the initial sale. Homeowners who invest in IAQ solutions are health-motivated buyers. They renew service agreements at higher rates and are less price-sensitive than customers focused solely on equipment. IAQ installs open the door to maintenance agreements — the highest-margin, most predictable revenue in the residential service business.

Consider also the non-HVAC lens. Sebastian Jimenez, founder and CEO of Rilla, an AI sales coaching platform, discovered his New York office CO₂ levels had exceeded 1,000 ppm — a threshold at which cognitive ability drops by 30 percent according to Harvard’s Joseph Allen. Jimenez immediately engaged Allen’s team at 9 Foundations to find the healthiest office space in New York City, ultimately signing a 57,000 square foot lease in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. His reasoning was straightforward: a 30 percent cognitive gain justifies the investment. Business leaders across every industry are beginning to reach the same conclusion. The HVAC contractors and distributors who bring the health conversation to those leaders first will own that relationship.

The Signals Are Already in the Home

Experienced technicians know that the home communicates buying signals without prompting. Pet dander, visible dust accumulation, allergy medications on the counter, a CPAP machine in the bedroom, an oxygen concentrator for a homebound family member, a new infant, or visible mold all represent natural entry points for an IAQ conversation. The technician who notices a CPAP and asks, “Have you thought about whether your air quality is supporting or working against that?” is not selling. They are solving.

Three Barriers Holding the Industry Back

The barriers are consistent across contractors of all sizes. Training: most technicians cannot explain the difference between bipolar ionization and photocatalytic oxidation to a homeowner in plain language. If they cannot explain it, they will not sell it. Awareness: the health research connecting indoor air to cardiovascular and cognitive outcomes is not making it to the field. Time pressure: until someone does the math on what one IAQ attach is worth in lifetime customer value, the conversation will keep losing to the next service call on the schedule.

A Direct Challenge to Distributors and Manufacturers

Most major manufacturers operate co-op advertising programs with contractor networks. Dealer portals offer pre-approved ad templates, branded collateral, and co-op claims processing. Those programs exist to support equipment sales. The question worth asking is how much of that co-op spend, those TM training hours, and that marketing infrastructure is currently pointed at IAQ.

The honest answer, across most of the channel: not much. The branded campaigns are built around SEER ratings and efficiency. That is appropriate for equipment. It is insufficient for a $10 billion health category growing toward $13 billion.

What would it look like if distributors tracked IAQ attach rates the way they track unit volume? If pre-approved co-op templates existed for IAQ awareness campaigns the same way they exist for equipment promotions? If counter reps were asking about IAQ sell-through on every contractor visit? If territory managers were trained to lead with health outcomes, not just efficiency ratings?

IAQ is not a product category. It is a health platform. The channel infrastructure to support it already exists. The intentional alignment does not.

The Ask

For contractors: the question is not whether IAQ is sellable. Market data, health research, COVID-era shortages, and this week’s Saharan dust advisory all answer that. The question is whether your team has the training and the language to bring it up on every call.

For distributors and manufacturers: ask how much of your support infrastructure is aligned to IAQ. Then ask whether that matches the size of the opportunity. The co-op dollars, the TM training calendars, the counter conversations, the pre-approved marketing templates — all of it is available and already funded. What’s missing is the decision to point it at the right category. Distributors could also consider local outreach to hospitals, cardiologists and their local chapter of the American Heart Association to share information and attend events. Aside from a lead generation and awareness initiative, this is also giving back to your community. (We, Channel Marketing Group has designed vendor-supported sales and promotional initiatives that have benefited local charities.)

If this article prompted a conversation in your organization, share it. Print it. Put it on the counter at your next sales meeting. The conversation needs to start somewhere.

About the Author

Christian Baca spent 18 years in HVAC distribution, working his way from the counter through inside sales, sub-distributor sales, territory management, branch management, and sales management before leading one of the more complex transitions in the channel: helping lead the merger of three competing companies into a single unified organization. He finished that chapter as VP of Sales and Marketing, with responsibility spanning commercial and residential sales, marketing, pricing, technical support, rebate and utility programs, and government affairs.

Before HVAC, Chris negotiated high-value service contracts for Schindler Elevator across Brooklyn and Staten Island, and earlier in his career helped open two Home Depot locations on Long Island, managing multiple departments during the retailer’s formative expansion years in the 1990s — experience that gave him an early foundation in high-volume consumer sales, operations, and building a team from the ground up.

He currently serves as a board advisor to Lantern, an AI-powered procurement forecasting company, and writes on sales strategy, indoor air quality, and the future of HVAC distribution. Connect with him on LinkedIn.