Many people understand how harmful outdoor air pollution like car emissions can be, but they don’t realize that the air inside the average home might be more polluted—depending on actual circumstances, it can be up to five times more. Things have become so dangerous, the EPA has indoor air pollution tiered as a top five environmental danger. Mold, pollen, pet dander, radon and even formaldehyde are commonly found inside. Since Americans spend around 90% of their time indoors, excellent indoor air quality is vital for great health, regardless if it’s in our homes or our workplaces. To help handle this pollution and improve our indoor air quality, we can take different measures. But first, we need to absorb some lingo often used to discuss indoor air quality.
HEPA
HEPA is a term a lot of people have heard or seen, but did you recognize it stands for “high-efficiency particulate air” or “high-efficiency particulate arrestance”? HEPA filtration systems are designed—and certified—to confine at least 99.97% of .3-micron particles (smaller than the diameter of a human hair) from the air that filters through the system. This drastically increases your home’s indoor air quality when dust, pollen, mites and other contaminants are captured.
MERV
Minimum efficiency reporting value or MERV describes the effectiveness of an air filter. With rankings ranging from 1–16, you should look for a max rating that reveals the filter will filter more contaminants and allergens from your air without restricting the airflow of your home comfort system. Ask us which MERV-rated filter will work best for your home.
At Lycoming Heating Company, we can help you understand the importance of indoor air quality and help you work on breathing the best air possible. After all, the typical adult inhales about 11,000 liters of air each day. Give us a call at 570-326-4450 if you have any questions or concerns about your home comfort system or if you want to schedule an appointment with us.