Know How to Improve Indoor Air Quality and Cooling

Though we feel comfortable in our home, the air we breathe can sometimes be surprisingly polluted. Depending upon the area you live in, the surrounding air might contain dust, allergens, pet dander, and even toxic or volatile organic compounds usually emitted from everyday products. These pollutants can significantly impact the resident’s health and comfort. This necessitates ensuring proper indoor quality for maximum comfort and a healthy lifestyle.

Fortunately, there are several effective solutions available that can help to improve indoor air quality. One of them is a high-efficiency air filter that can significantly improve the quality of indoor in commercial as well as residential buildings. 

What is happening to indoor air quality?

Before we discuss what are the various ways to improve indoor quality, we must understand what’s happening to the indoor air. Even though you live in area with clean air, and less dust, the problem of high-quality air persists. In our previous article we talked about how sustainable buildings can help achieve high HVAC and energy efficiency. However, modern home designs require tighter building envelopes. It is great to reduce heating and cooling cost, but it also restricts the natural air ventilation. 

So, the air trapped inside the building often becomes stagnant and accumulates pollutants. Moreover, the use of synthetic materials, cleaning materials, personal care items, and other chemical products worsens the situation by contributing to indoor air pollution.

Why commercial Air filtration Systems are more important than ever?

Today, commercial air filtration systems are more important than ever because of the inefficient natural air ventilation and rise of indoor pollutants. These air-filtration systems work together with other HVAC systems in your home and building to continuously clean the air circulation. They trap minute pollutants and help to significantly improve indoor air-quality offering several benefits including:

• Reduction in allergy and asthma symptoms: Dust mites, pollen, and pet dander are some of the common causes of allergies and asthma. By using high-efficiency air filters, homeowners can reduce these symptoms and improve overall health quality
• Improved indoor comfort: Not everyone notices this but poor indoor quality affects how you live in your home. But using an air-filtration system can offer cleaner air and noticeably enhance your indoor comfort.
• Improved appliance and HVAC efficiency: Clogged air filters are a major cause of reduced HVAC efficiency as they require them to work harder to circulate air. Clean filters help with the best airflow and improve the efficiency of such systems.

The MERV Rating

So now that you understand the importance of air-filtration system for your home and buildings, one important factor to consider while buying a new system is the MERV rating. MERV rating refers to the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value and indicates the filter’s ability to capture airborne particles. The higher the MERV ratings, the better the filtration. 

Here’s a general breakdown of different MERV ratings:

• MERV 1-4: Low-efficiency filters, suitable for basic dust control.
• MERV 5-8: Mid-efficiency filters, effective for dust, pollen, and some mold spores.
• MERV 9-12: High-efficiency filters, ideal for homes with allergies or pets, capturing most allergens and bacteria.
• MERV 13-16: Very high-efficiency filters, often referred to as HEPA filters, trapping 99.97% of particles as small as 0.3 microns.

Types of Air Filters

There are several types of air filters available, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Choosing the right one depends on your specific needs and budget:

• Flat-paneled fiberglass air filters: These are the most common and least expensive options. They offer basic dust control but are not effective against allergens or smaller particles.
• Pleated media air filters: These filters offer better performance than fiberglass filters with improved dust and allergen capture. They are available in various MERV ratings and are a good mid-range option.
• HEPA air filters: As mentioned earlier, HEPA filters are the gold standard for air filtration. They offer exceptional particle capture and are ideal for those with severe allergies, asthma, or compromised immune systems. However, they can restrict airflow more than other types of filters, potentially impacting HVAC efficiency.
• Washable air filters: These reusable filters are an eco-friendly option but require regular cleaning to maintain their effectiveness. They typically have lower MERV ratings compared to disposable filters.

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality?

High-efficiency air filtration systems can definitely be great addition to your home appliance for improving indoor air quality. Apart from these, there are some come things that also help with improving the quality such as:

• Using fans and dehumidifiers

Ceiling fans are a great way to improve air circulation. Also, dehumidifiers help control the indoor moisture levels. So, these regular-use equipment can significantly reduce the growth of mold and mildew.

• Replace air filters

Air filters with time get old and lose their effectiveness. So, it is highly recommended to change air filters regularly by following the manufacturer’s recommendations for your specific filter. Generally, the high-efficiency filters are changed more frequently than normal filters as they trap more pollutants over time.

• Cleaning air ducts

Dirty air ducts contain huge amounts of dust, allergens, and even mold. So, regularly get them cleaned with the help of professional HVAC professionals.

• Regular maintenance services

Regular maintenance by professionals ensure your HVAC system are running at maximum efficiency and there is proper air circulation.

• Source control

Try to identify and eliminate the source of pollutants. Some common sources of pollution are cleaning products so try to switch to natural products. Also, use exhaust fans while cooking. 

• Indoor plants

There are many houseplants that serve as natural air purifiers by absorbing pollutants like VOCs. you can research the plant varieties and their capabilities to add them to your home.

Do I need an Air Filtration System?

High-efficiency air filtration systems are good for commercial buildings. However, if you are looking to install it in your home then you may consider the following points to decide if you actually need them or not.

Consider adding it to your home if you:

• Are getting allergy or asthma symptoms in your home
• Have pets that generate a lot of danders
• Live in a polluted area 
• Have a weak immune system
• Are looking to improve air quality and experience cleaner air always.

You can ignore the need for an air-filtration system if:

• There are no allergy symptoms
• You are low on budget, as they may not provide the value you want
• You have a well-maintained HVAC system with the nice and clean air filter.

Everest Mechanical for your air-filtration consultation

We are a professional HVAC service company in Colorado providing HVAC repair, servicing, and installation service in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Estes Park, Longmont, and nearby regions. We have highly trained and certified professional technicians who are committed to providing excellent customer service and HVAC solutions at one go. 

So, if you are looking to install air-filtration system for your home or building, we can provide the right recommendations depending upon your area, level of pollution, and building requirement. We also provide installation of new air-filtration systems and repair and maintenance of old systems.So, contact us now in the below mentioned contact details.

Air-filtration systems are undoubtedly a great addition to your HVAC appliances that will help you improve indoor air quality. Apart from such systems, there are other various ways to achieve the same level of air quality. So, consult professional HVAC service contractors like Everest Mechanical to find out if you actually need a high-efficiency air filtration system, get it installed if you need one, or get your old HVAC system maintenance done if you don’t need air filtration. Get the right consultation to make the right decision. Contact now.