If you live in a newly built house in Derby, it was probably made with energy efficiency in mind. This means greater amounts of insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these enhancements are good for keeping your utility expenses under control, they’re not so good for your indoor air quality.
Your heating and cooling system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing ample filtration. This type only delivers the lowest level of protection by keeping dust out of your heating and cooling system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, especially if someone in your house has allergies or other respiratory troubles.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a great solution. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide effective filtration around your house. Depending on the model you select, you’ll be able to filter allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite solutions 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 top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first created to shield scientists as they developed the atomic bomb. Today, they’re necessary in hospitals and other medical settings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration process. A prefilter catches larger pollutants before the HEPA filter traps the rest of smaller irritants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out 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 types of indoor air irritants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can eliminate 99.9%* of pollutants, such as mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also potent at reducing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, based on laboratory and field studies, it decreases and eradicates approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it uncomplicated to maintain. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll receive an alert 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 fit your needs. This rating calculates how effective filters are at capturing contaminants. The higher the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is ideal for residences with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, because it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is great for households who are looking for better protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 99% of larger particles including 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 great 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 smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to provide this effective filtration without increasing the price of operating your home comfort 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 thicker ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can inflate your utility expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the fault of why you get a blistering sunburn. But this kind of light has a beneficial application when installed within your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to decrease germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In actuality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can reduce the number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as short as 45 minutes.5 This light destroys cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from flourishing and spreading throughout your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and working like it should. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi hiding inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these tasks without creating lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Help of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your family’s comfort and health matters to us at Giordanos Heating and Air Conditioning. We know there are lots of options out there. That’s why we make it easy to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in developing solutions tailored to your needs and budget, and we’d love to find out more about your house and your air quality problems. Call us at 203-772-8319 today to get started.
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.