If you own a newer house in Derby, it was likely made with energy efficiency as a priority. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these enhancements are good for keeping your heating and cooling expenses reasonable, they’re not so great for your indoor air quality.
Your heating and cooling system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be getting ample filtration. This style only provides the bare minimum of protection by keeping dust out of your heating and cooling system.
While you can get a pleated filter or one with a better MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, even more so if someone in your house 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 residence. Depending on the kind you go with, you’ll be able to remove 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, delivers premium filtration. These filters were first developed to defend scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re necessary in hospitals and other medical settings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System has a three-step filtration method. A prefilter attracts bigger irritants before the HEPA filter traps the rest of tiny pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter takes care of odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and seamlessly connects with your smart home. It reduces the three key 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 effective at removing or destroying 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 your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it easy to service. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll receive an alert to install a new 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 available in a variety of MERV ratings to fit your needs. This rating calculates how effective filters are at removing contaminants. The better the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it gets rid of more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your house’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for households who are seeking stronger protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter captures 99% of larger particles such as 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 an excellent air purifier for allergies and in homes with pets. It eliminates more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of miniscule ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to deliver this strong filtration without increasing the bill for operating your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s important to know that some of the thicker ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can increase your energy costs.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the fault of why you get a stinging sunburn. But this type of light has a beneficial application when installed in your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to decrease germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In actuality, 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 prohibits these microorganisms from flourishing and infiltrating throughout your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and running properly. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi hiding in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier achieves all this work without developing lung-irritating ozone.6
Breathe Better 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 simple to work with our indoor air quality professionals. We specialize in making solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to find out more about your home and your air quality issues. Call us at 203-772-8319 right away 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.