If you have a newly built home in Laurel, it was likely constructed with energy efficiency in mind. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these advances are excellent for keeping your heating and cooling costs economical, they’re not so fantastic for your indoor air quality.
Your home comfort system needs to work with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving adequate filtration. This style only gives the smallest amount of protection by keeping dust out of your heating and cooling system.
While you can upgrade to a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, even more so if someone in your house has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide strong filtration across your residence. Depending on the type you select, you’ll be able to filter allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top systems from Lennox, an industry leader in air purification.
Best Air Purifiers from Lennox
1. HEPA Air Purifiers
A HEPA air purifier, like the Healthy Climate® High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filtration System, gives premium filtration. These filters were first developed to shield scientists as they made the atomic bomb. Today, they’re essential in hospitals and other medical buildings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration process. A prefilter draws significant pollutants before the HEPA filter traps remaining miniscule particles. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System is compatible with all HVAC brands and seamlessly integrates with your smart home. It combats the three major kinds of indoor air pollutants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can remove 99.9%* of pollutants, including mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of removing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it reduces and eradicates approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it easy to keep up. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to replace the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be installed with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are available in a variety of MERV ratings to match your needs. This rating measures how capable filters are at trapping contaminants. The better the number, the finer the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is great for homes with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your house’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families who want better protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter captures 99% of larger particles such as dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of smaller particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a fantastic air purifier for allergies and in houses with pets. It catches more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of finer ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to deliver this strong filtration without running up the bill for operating your home comfort system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s critical to realize that some of the more substantial ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can increase your utility expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a painful sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a useful application when placed in your ductwork. It’s also tough enough to eliminate germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In fact, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from multiplying and infiltrating around your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and running like it should. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these things without developing lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Professionals
Your family’s comfort and health is important to us at H&C Heating and Cooling. We know there are lots of possibilities out there. That’s why we make it uncomplicated to collaborate with our indoor air quality professionals. We specialize in creating solutions tailored to your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your house and your air quality problems. Give us a call at 301-960-3247 now to begin.
1Based on laboratory and field studies.
2PureAir™ S requires the iComfort® S30 and a communicating indoor unit.
3Leading consumer magazine, January 2012. Based on the published CADR, which is the standardized measurement system to determine the cubic feet of clean air produced per minute. Particles captured range in size down to 0.3 micron. One micron = 1/25,000 of an inch in diameter.
4Based on lab tests conducted on filters with conditions included in ASHRAE standard 52.2 for E1 and E3 size ranges.
5Based on constant circulation of air in the home, 3,000-square-foot home with a 5-ton air handler.
6U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners: An Assessment of Effective and Health Consequences,” August 2006.