If you live in a newly built residence in Albuquerque, it was likely built with energy efficiency in mind. This means more insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these improvements are great for keeping your energy costs economical, they’re not so great 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 getting ample filtration. This kind only gives the smallest amount of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, even more so if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide powerful filtration around your house. Depending on the type you go with, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top 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 created to guard scientists as they developed the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical applications.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System has a three-step filtration method. A prefilter attracts bigger pollutants before the HEPA filter captures the remainder of tiny pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System is compatible with all HVAC brands and easily connects with your smart home. It fights the three major types of indoor air pollutants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can get rid of 99.9%* of pollutants, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of removing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, as the result of laboratory and field studies, it reduces and eliminates approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S is equipped with sensing features that make it easy to service. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to change 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 made in a variety of MERV ratings to work with your needs. This rating measures how capable filters are at removing contaminants. The better the number, the finer the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for homes 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 eliminates more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families who are seeking enhanced protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter traps 99% of larger particles such as dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of finer particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a great air purifier for allergies and in residences with pets. It removes 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 provide this strong filtration without running up the cost of operating your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s important to realize that some of the more substantial ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can inflate your heating and cooling bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a painful sunburn. But this kind of light has a beneficial application when placed inside your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can lower the number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from multiplying and moving around your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and running efficiently. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these tasks without making lung-irritating ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Help of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your loved ones’ comfort and health matters to us at I-Deal HVAC. We are aware there are many options out there. That’s why we make it simple to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in recommending solutions that match your needs and budget, and we’d love to find out more about your residence and your air quality challenges. Give us a call at 505-445-1250 now to start the process.
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.