The majority of people understand how harmful outdoor air pollution like car emissions can be, but they don’t realize that the air inside the usual home can be more polluted—contingent on actual circumstances, it can be up to five times more. Things have become so bad, the EPA has indoor air pollution tiered as a top five environmental danger. Mold, pollen, pet dander, radon and even formaldehyde are commonly found in homes. Since Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, good indoor air quality is a necessity for great health, despite if it’s in our homes or our workplaces. To help contain this pollution and improve our indoor air quality, we can take different measures. But first, we need to absorb some vernacular consistently used to discuss indoor air quality.
HEPA
HEPA is a term most people have heard or seen, but did you realize it stands for “high-efficiency particulate air” or “high-efficiency particulate arrestance”? HEPA filtration systems are designed—and certified—to capture 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 describes the effectiveness of an air filter. With ratings ranging from 1–16, you should find a higher rating that reveals the filter will destroy more contaminants and allergens from your air without restricting the airflow of your home comfort system. Ask us which MERV-rated filter will work best for your home.
At Giordanos Heating and Air Conditioning, we can help you understand the importance of indoor air quality and help you work on breathing the best air possible. After all, the typical adult inhales about 11,000 liters of air each day. Give us a call at 203-772-8319 if you have any questions or concerns about your home comfort system or if you want to schedule an appointment with us.