Most people understand how harmful outdoor air pollution like car emissions can be, but they don’t realize that the air inside the typical house might be more polluted—depending on actual conditions, it can be up to five times more. Things have become so dangerous, the EPA has indoor air pollution tiered as a top five environmental danger. Mold, pollen, pet dander, radon and even formaldehyde are commonly found indoors. Since Americans spend around 90% of their time indoors, superior indoor air quality is crucial for good health, regardless if it’s in our homes or our workplaces. To help contain this pollution and improve our indoor air quality, we can take several measures. But first, we must to grasp some vernacular consistently used to discuss indoor air quality.
HEPA
HEPA is a term a lot of people have heard or seen, but did you know it stands for “high-efficiency particulate air” or “high-efficiency particulate arrestance”? HEPA filtration systems are designed—and certified—to confine at least 99.97% of .3-micron particles (tinier than the diameter of a human hair) from the air that passes through the system. This drastically increases your home’s indoor air quality when dust, pollen, mites and other contaminants are trapped.
MERV
Minimum efficiency reporting value or MERV expresses the effectiveness of an air filter. With metrics ranging from 1–16, you should look for a top rating that specifies the filter will destroy more contaminants and allergens from your air without limiting the airflow of your home comfort system. Ask us which MERV-rated filter will work best for your home.
At Controlled Comfort HVAC Inc, we can help you understand the importance of indoor air quality and help you work on breathing the best air possible. After all, the average adult breathes about 11,000 liters of air each day. Give us a call at 224-699-9229 if you have any questions or concerns about your home comfort system or if you want to schedule an appointment with us.