Most people understand how harmful outdoor air pollution like car emissions can be, but they don’t realize that the air inside the average house often is more polluted—reliant on actual conditions, it can be up to five times more. Things have become so bad, the EPA has indoor air pollution ranked as a top five environmental danger. Mold, pollen, pet dander, radon and even formaldehyde are commonly found inside. Since Americans spend about 90% of their time indoors, superior indoor air quality is crucial for great health, regardless if it’s in our homes or our workplaces. To help contain this pollution and increase our indoor air quality, we can take different measures. But first, we must to understand some lingo consistently used to discuss indoor air quality.
HEPA
HEPA is a term a lot of people have heard or seen, but did you know it stands for “high-efficiency particulate air” or “high-efficiency particulate arrestance”? HEPA filtration systems are engineered—and certified—to confine at least 99.97% of .3-micron particles (less 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 max rating that reveals the filter will remove more contaminants and allergens from your air without confining the airflow of your home comfort system. Ask us which MERV-rated filter will work best for your home.
At Lakeside Heating & Air, we can help you understand the importance of indoor air quality and help you work on breathing the best air possible. After all, the normal adult takes in about 11,000 liters of air each day. Give us a call at 509-284-4265 if you have any questions or concerns about your home comfort system or if you want to schedule an appointment with us.