Indoor air quality can play a major role in both your short-term and long-term health. Studies have repeatedly shown that the air quality in almost every home is much worse than the air quality outside. The reason is that there are a huge number of sources of indoor air pollution inside every home. This includes the building materials your home is made of, cleaning products, and even electronics. Your HVAC system also plays a prominent role in indoor air quality and can both positively and negatively affect it in several different ways.
What Role Does HVAC Play in Indoor Air Quality?
The fact that an HVAC system continuously circulates air around the home as it runs means that it also circulates dust, pollen, and other allergens as well as airborne chemicals and pollutants. The air filter in an HVAC system can help minimize this effect, but the extent of the benefits largely depends on how efficient of a filter you use. Lower-rated, less-efficient filters mainly just trap dust to help avoid issues and keep the system functioning efficiently. If you opt to use a higher-rated filter, it will help to limit the amount of pollen, dust mites, fungal spores, pet dander, and other allergens circulating in your home.
Air conditioning systems can have an especially pronounced effect on indoor air quality in both good and bad ways. Running your central AC system helps to keep the humidity level in your home lower, which is important for helping prevent issues with mold growth. The reason is that moisture in the air continually condenses on the evaporator coil so that the air coming out of the system is less humid than the air being drawn into it. The problem is that the condensation often leads to lots of mold and bacteria growing on the evaporator coil, which will negatively affect the air quality in the home.
Effective Options for Improving Indoor Air Quality
While HVAC systems generally contribute to air quality issues, they can also be used to greatly improve air quality. For instance, adding a whole-home air purifier or air filtration system to your HVAC system will make a huge difference and help to overcome most air quality issues. Whole-home air filters and air purifiers are great at removing the vast majority of contaminants and allergens within a home and will filter and clean the air being circulated by your HVAC system. A filtration or purification system will also help your HVAC system work more effectively so your heating and cooling costs stay lower.
Controlling the humidity level in your home is also essential in terms of both air quality and comfort. Although air conditioning helps with humidity issues, many homes in the Concord and Charlotte areas still experience issues with high indoor humidity during the summer. This is where installing a whole-home dehumidifier can be a huge help since it will draw far more moisture out of the air in your home than your AC ever could on its own. Installing a whole-home humidifier can also help improve your home’s air quality in winter and make your house much more comfortable.
Germicidal UV lights are also a great option for preventing and eliminating mold and bacteria growth on your AC evaporator coil. This type of unit shines powerful ultraviolet rays onto the evaporator coil 24 hours a day throughout the entire air conditioning season. When bacteria, viruses, and mold are exposed to ultraviolet light, their DNA gets altered in a way that makes them completely harmless and prevents them from reproducing or spreading. By eliminating bacteria, viruses, and mold, a UV light unit will greatly improve air quality and keep your family healthier.
Installing a mechanical ventilation system is another great solution that will help overcome air quality issues in both summer and winter. Indoor air quality always tends to be worse in the middle of summer and winter when a home is sealed up tight with the AC or heating always running. Unless you regularly open your windows to allow fresh air in, the air in your home will quickly become stale and the concentration of airborne pollutants will continue to increase. This is where a ventilation system can be a huge help since it will run frequently to draw the polluted, stale air outside and bring fresh, clean air inside.
All Temp Co., Inc Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing, & Electrical has been providing trustworthy, reliable HVAC services to the Concord and Charlotte areas for more than 30 years. Our expert technicians can evaluate the air quality in your home and help you determine the most effective solutions for overcoming your specific air quality issues. We’re also ready to help if you need any heating, air conditioning, or plumbing services. For more information on the range of indoor air quality services we offer, give us a call today.