If you live in a newer house in Huntsville, it was in all likelihood constructed with energy efficiency as a priority. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these enhancements are great for keeping your heating and cooling costs economical, they’re not so great for your indoor air quality.
Your home comfort system needs to work with a filter. But if you install a flat filter, you won’t be getting ample filtration. This type only delivers the smallest amount of protection by stopping dust from getting into your heating and cooling system.
While you can upgrade to a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, even more so if someone in your house has allergies or other respiratory problems.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are attached within ductwork to give effective filtration around 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 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, provides the best filtration. These filters were first developed to defend scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re necessary in hospitals and other medical operations.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration process. A prefilter attracts significant particles before the HEPA filter captures the rest of miniscule particles. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and easily works with with your smart home. It fights the three leading varieties of indoor air irritants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can remove 99.9%* of pollutants, including mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also potent at removing or destroying 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it decreases and eliminates approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S is equipped with sensing features that make it easy to maintain. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll receive an alert to change the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be installed 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 work with your needs. This rating calculates how effective filters are at capturing contaminants. The better the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is ideal for homes with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, as it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your house’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for households who are seeking improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter removes 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 houses with pets. It eliminates 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 offer this strong filtration without increasing the bill for turning on your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s important to realize that some of the thicker ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can increase your energy bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a blistering sunburn. But this type of light has a useful application when concealed inside 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 little as 45 minutes.5 This light destroys cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from growing and moving across your home.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and working properly. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi lurking in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these things without making lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Healthier Air with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Pros
Your household’s comfort and health is our top priority at All Weather Heating & Air Conditioning Inc. We know there are many possibilities out there. That’s why we make it easy to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in creating solutions that fit your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality issues. Give us a call at 256-801-4701 today to start the process.
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.