If you live in a newly constructed residence in Buellton, it was in all likelihood made with energy efficiency as a priority. This means greater amounts of insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these improvements are good for keeping your heating and cooling costs in check, they’re not so excellent for your indoor air quality.
Your home comfort system needs to work with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving ample filtration. This model only provides the bare minimum of protection by keeping dust out of your HVAC system.
While you can upgrade to a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be enough filtration, particularly if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are attached within ductwork to provide strong filtration throughout your residence. Depending on the type you go with, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our best 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 top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first created to defend scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a staple in hospitals and other medical operations.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration process. A prefilter attracts significant pollutants before the HEPA filter catches the remainder of smaller irritants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and easily connects with your smart home. It reduces the three major varieties 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, 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, based on laboratory and field studies, it removes and destroys approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it uncomplicated to keep up. When linked with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to replace the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be used 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 great for residences with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, as it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-level filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for households who are looking for enhanced protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter captures 99% of larger particles such as 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 residences with pets. It eliminates more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of finer ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to deliver this powerful filtration without driving up the price of turning on your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s critical to be aware that some of the denser ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can inflate your utility costs.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a painful sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a useful application when concealed inside your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to eliminate germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In actuality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can lower the number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as short as 45 minutes.5 This light wrecks cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from multiplying and spreading around your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and working properly. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all this work without producing lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your family’s comfort and health is our top priority at Allstar Heating & Air Conditioning. We realize there are a lot of options out there. That’s why we make it simple to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in developing solutions that match your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your residence and your air quality issues. Reach us at 805-242-9638 now to begin.
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.