Improve Indoor Air Quality

The Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) for homes and buildings is extremely important to understand by the occupants of those spaces to stay healthy and breathe the clean air. The contaminated and polluted air results in poor health and sicknesses in humans. As our society gets more advance in technology, the new chemicals are being introduced in the market for a home and personal use. The level of tolerance to these chemicals in each of us is different. Some of the human bodies cannot tolerate these chemicals and there are several adverse effects on humans, which includes respiratory issues and some related to cancer.

There are ample research reports issued by experts of U.S EPA (US Environmental Protection Agency) and ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration & Air-Conditioning Engineers) engineers. Some of these research papers are in-depth (for professionals) but two I recommend for all consumers must read: “New Guidance for Residential Air Cleaners by L. Harriman, B. Stephens &T. Brennan, ASHRAE members” and “Guide to Air Furnace Filters Cleaners In The Home, published by EPA in July 2018”. These two forgoing documents are very educational and provide basic info to the consumers to understand and follow the advice of these experts.

The EPA has given very basic five (05) points guidelines to consumers to follow and improve the IAQ at their home and workplaces. In very short & brief, those are summarized as follows:

Reduce the source of pollutants (no smoking or vaping indoor, run an exhaust fan when cooking, use fewer aerosol products, etc.) and ventilate your home with fresh outdoor air.

Remove the significant amount of airborne fine particles of 2.5 microns and smaller (technically it calls, PM₅). As per EPA guidelines, this can be achieved by using MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) 13 or higher rating filters for central HVAC system at home.

Home Air Filtration and Air Purifiers

The Portable Air Purifier Filtration System Cleaner is recommended for all rooms with HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters. These portable air cleaners can remove fine particles of 0.3 microns and up, but it is important to use the right size portable air cleaner as per room floor area. Use high CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) portable unit to clean more Air Furnace Filters at a faster rate in less time.

As per ASHRAE research, the average central AC units’ fan is running 20 to 25% per year which reduces the cleaning effects of air or filtration effectiveness. The same is applicable to the Portable Air Cleaners if the unit is off then it will not be filtering the air. It’s advisable to run the central AC system fan & Portable Air Cleaners for 8 to 10 hours a day to reduce the concentration of 0.3-micron particles that the human eye cannot see.

Besides the run time of fan for AC system and Portable Air Purifiers, the maintenance of these units as per manufacturers guidelines is important. Changing the Air filters on time is important (60 to 90 days depend on home condition), AC system must the efficient to maintain temperature and humidity level as per the ASHRAE recommendation. The older units need to be maintained and checked at least once a year to save energy costs and run efficiently.