If you own a newly built home in Highlands Ranch, it was probably built with energy efficiency as a priority. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with improved seals. While these enhancements are excellent for keeping your heating and cooling costs reasonable, they’re not so excellent for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to work with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be getting enough filtration. This type only delivers the lowest level of protection by keeping dust out of your heating and cooling system.
While you can get a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, especially if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide strong filtration across your house. Depending on the model you select, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite solutions 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, gives the best filtration. These filters were first made to defend scientists as they worked on 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 method. A prefilter attracts larger pollutants before the HEPA filter catches the rest of smaller particles. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and smoothly works with your smart home. It fights the three major varieties of indoor air irritants:
- 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 decreasing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it decreases and eradicates approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it simple to maintain. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to install a new 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 made in a variety of MERV ratings to match your needs. This rating calculates how capable filters are at trapping contaminants. The higher the number, the greater 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, because it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for households who want improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 99% of larger particles like 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 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 smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to deliver this strong filtration without running up the cost of turning on your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s critical to realize that some of the denser ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may decrease your system’s airflow. This can inflate your utility expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a painful sunburn. But this type of light has a beneficial application when installed in your ductwork. It’s also strong enough to decrease germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as little as 45 minutes.5 This light destroys cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from multiplying and infiltrating around your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and working efficiently. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi hiding inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier achieves all these tasks without producing lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Support of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your family’s comfort and health is important to us at PS Cool Heat. We realize there are lots of solutions out there. That’s why we make it uncomplicated to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in developing solutions tailored to your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your house and your air quality problems. Reach us at 720-613-2210 today 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.