The quality of your home’s indoor air is affected many factors. Higher
indoor air quality is associated with several benefits, including physical
comfort, long-term health, and even greater HVAC efficiency and lower
utility bills. If you aren’t sure whether your home might benefit
from an improvement in air quality, there are several signs you can use
to evaluate your need for better indoor air quality control.
Your Family Includes Asthma or Allergy Sufferers
Asthma and allergies are often caused by certain triggers. Many of these
triggers are small particles that are inhaled when present in indoor air,
such as smoke, pollen, animal dander, dust mites, and cleaning chemicals.
If your family includes an asthma or allergy sufferer, poor indoor air
quality can lead to chronic symptoms that seem worse while at home, causing
general discomfort and often increasing medical costs associated with
symptom control. One of the easiest ways to improve your living environment
by reducing these airborne triggers is to install an air cleaner, air
purifier, or UV lamp to remove or neutralize asthma and allergy triggers
when they enter your home. Humidity control systems can also improve asthma
and allergies by better maintaining a level of humidity that is comfortable
for individuals with these conditions.
You Spend a Lot of Time Cleaning
Dusting may be a common and necessary cleaning task, but if you find yourself
dusting frequently and feel like you’re fighting a losing battle
against dust and dirt accumulation, your existing HVAC filter may not
be sufficient to keep your home’s air clean. Particularly in dusty
areas or busy homes, dirt and dust tracked in by family members and animals
or particles that enter through open windows and doors can overwhelm your
HVAC system quickly, choking your appliances and leading to layers of
dust that rarely seem improved by regular cleaning. Investing in an indoor
air quality solution such as an electrostatic air cleaner can help to
target these particles and eliminate them from the air you breathe and
the surfaces of your home.
Your Home Is Relatively New
New homes are built to better standards in terms of HVAC efficiency than
ever before, improving air quality by ensuring that proper ventilation
and efficient heating and cooling appliances are used. However, new homes
can also be subject to a process called offgassing, which occurs as materials
such as fabrics, flooring, adhesives, paints, and varnishes release molecules called
volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, into your air. VOCs are associated with respiratory irritation
that can mimic asthma and allergies, as well as other chronic diseases
following long-term exposure to these compounds. If your home is new and
you aren’t sure whether low-VOC materials and paints were used in
its construction, installing an indoor air quality product designed to
neutralize VOCs can ensure that your home provides a comfortable and healthy
environment from day one.
If you’d like to learn more about your home’s indoor air quality
and how it affects your health, comfort, and daily costs, our expert HVAC
technicians are here to help. We are pleased to offer comprehensive heating
and AC service throughout the Columbus area, including indoor air quality
products and solutions designed to create a healthier and more efficient
home environment for your family. You can reach our AC company to request
an appointment via
our website, or continue reading about maintaining a comfortable and healthy home
with the help of your HVAC system on
our monthly blog.