If you own a newly built house in Carpentersville, it was probably made with energy efficiency in mind. This means more insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these advances are good for keeping your energy bills affordable, they’re not so good for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving adequate filtration. This style only delivers the smallest amount of protection by keeping dust out of your HVAC system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, even more so if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory issues.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide effective filtration throughout your house. Depending on the kind you select, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite styles 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, provides the best filtration. These filters were first made to guard scientists as they made the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical operations.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration method. A prefilter attracts larger pollutants before the HEPA filter catches remaining miniscule irritants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and seamlessly links to your smart home. It combats the three major varieties of indoor air pollutants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can eliminate 99.9%* of pollutants, including mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of reducing or destroying 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it decreases and destroys approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it easy to service. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to replace the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be linked with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are made in a variety of MERV ratings to fit your needs. This rating determines how good filters are at trapping contaminants. The higher the number, the finer the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for households 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 gets rid of more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for households who are seeking better protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter captures 99% of larger particles like dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of miniscule particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a fantastic air purifier for allergies and in homes with pets. It removes 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 provide this powerful filtration without driving up the cost of turning on your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s essential to be aware that some of the more substantial ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can increase your heating and cooling costs.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a blistering sunburn. But this type of light has a beneficial application when installed inside your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to eliminate germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In fact, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can reduce the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as short as 45 minutes.5 This light wrecks cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from multiplying and spreading around your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and working properly. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi lurking inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all this work without making lung-irritating ozone.6
Breathe Healthier Air with the Support of Our Air Purification Pros
Your household’s comfort and health is our top priority at Controlled Comfort HVAC. We know there are a lot of possibilities out there. That’s why we make it uncomplicated to work with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in making solutions that fit your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your home and your air quality challenges. Call us at 224-412-8308 today 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.
