If you live in a newly built house in The Bay Area, it was probably made with energy efficiency as a priority. This means more insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these enhancements are good for keeping your heating and cooling costs in check, they’re not so fantastic for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving enough filtration. This model only delivers the bare minimum of protection by stopping dust from getting into your HVAC 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 issues.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are attached within ductwork to provide effective filtration across your house. Depending on the type you choose, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top systems 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 made to shield scientists as they made the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a staple in hospitals and other medical buildings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration procedure. A prefilter attracts significant particles before the HEPA filter captures the remainder of miniscule particles. 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 leading 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, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of reducing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it removes and eradicates approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it uncomplicated to maintain. When paired 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 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 match your needs. This rating calculates how effective filters are at trapping 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, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it gets rid of more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families who are looking for improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 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 fantastic 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 deliver this effective filtration without increasing the price of turning on your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s important to realize that some of the more substantial ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can inflate your heating and cooling costs.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a painful sunburn. But this kind of light has a beneficial application when concealed within your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to eliminate germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In fact, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can reduce the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as quickly as 45 minutes.5 This light wrecks cell structure, which halts these microorganisms from flourishing and spreading throughout your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and running properly. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi lurking inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier achieves all these tasks without developing lung-irritating ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Help of Our Air Purification Pros
Your loved ones’ comfort and health matters to us at Contra Costa Heating & AC. We are aware there are lots of options out there. That’s why we make it uncomplicated to collaborate with our indoor air quality specialists. We specialize in recommending solutions tailored to your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your home and your air quality issues. Reach us at 510-343-9841 now 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.
