Your home acts like a bubble. This is because your HVAC makes your home a climate-controlled ecosystem. The indoor air quality (IAQ) is a large part of your indoor environment and helps make your home more comfortable. This is especially important in the winter months, where most of your time is spent indoors. You may not have noticed or considered your IAQ before, but it could be affecting the way you live more than you think.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air quality is “the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants.” Your air has dust, pollutants, and allergens, all things that your HVAC system can temper.
Indoor air quality can be affected by the following sources of pollutants:
- Tobacco smoke
- Asbestos
- Pollen
- Household cleaning products
- Hygiene and hair care products
- Outdoor air pollution
- Excess moisture
- Fuel-burning appliances
Below are some things you can start doing to keep the air quality inside your home at a healthy and optimal level.
HVAC Maintenance:
At Willard AC, we like to think of your HVAC unit as the lungs of your home. If your unit isn’t in top shape, it can’t correctly filter and cycle air. Your filters collect the airborne particles, and the fresh air is distributed throughout your home. Without proper maintenance, your unit will dirty filters faster than expected and won’t be able to push clean air throughout your home.
HEPA Filters:
As mentioned above, the air filter in your HVAC unit collects airborne particles and distributes the clean air throughout your home. Incorporating a HEPA filter will mean that you are using the best filter possible. HEPA filters use carbon filters to remove the smallest of particles from your HVAC system.
Ventilation:
Many homes struggle to maintain good ventilation during the winter months due to the colder weather and the risk of losing heat. Unfortunately, this puts all the responsibility of ventilation on your HVAC system.
Like our techs say, with a great HVAC system comes great ventilation. When your fan is turned on, whether you’re heating or cooling your home, the contaminated air is being pulled into your HVAC system.
Air Purifiers:
Using a Portable Air Purifier assists your HVAC unit in filtering the air in your home. Air Purifiers use HEPA filters like your HVAC unit but are made for various spaces from large to small and can be placed anywhere you think the circulation might be poor.
Duct Cleaning:
Over time the ducts that circulate air throughout your home will collect dust and other debris that can eventually worsen the quality of your indoor air. Having your ducts cleaned regularly can reduce the amount of debris spread.
Keeping the indoor air quality at optimum levels with people and pets constantly inside during the winter months can be challenging. Willard AC can help by performing an inspection and tune-up on your HVAC system. In addition, we recommend scheduling maintenance twice a year for excellent IAQ and don’t forget to change your filters. Every bit counts when it comes to keeping your home fresh. So give us a call today!
