If you have a newly constructed home in Lincoln, it was probably constructed with energy efficiency in mind. This means more insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these advances are excellent for keeping your heating and cooling expenses economical, they’re not so great for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving adequate filtration. This style only delivers the bare minimum of protection by stopping dust from getting into your HVAC system.
While you can upgrade to a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, especially if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory issues.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide strong filtration across your home. Depending on the model you choose, you’ll be able to filter allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our best options 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, gives premium filtration. These filters were first made to shield scientists as they worked on the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a staple in hospitals and other medical applications.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System has a three-step filtration process. A prefilter attracts bigger irritants before the HEPA filter catches the rest of tiny pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System is compatible with all HVAC brands and smoothly works with your smart home. It fights the three leading kinds of indoor air contaminants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can get rid of 99.9%* of pollutants, including mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also potent at reducing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it removes and destroys approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S is equipped with sensing features that make it simple to service. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to install a new 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 made in a variety of MERV ratings to fit your needs. This rating measures how capable filters are at trapping contaminants. The higher the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is great for households with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, as it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-level filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of aggravating particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families who desire improved protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 99% of larger particles like dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of miniscule particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a an excellent air purifier for allergies and in houses with pets. It catches 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 deliver this effective filtration without increasing the bill for using your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s essential to know that some of the denser ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can increase your heating and cooling costs.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the fault of why you get a stinging sunburn. But this type of light has a helpful application when installed within your ductwork. It’s also tough enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as short as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which halts these microorganisms from flourishing and infiltrating around your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and operating efficiently. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi lurking inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these things without producing lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Help of Our Air Purification Professionals
Your family’s comfort and health matters to us at AW Heating & Air Conditioning. We are aware there are lots of solutions out there. That’s why we make it easy to partner with our indoor air quality professionals. We specialize in recommending solutions that match your needs and budget, and we’d love to find out more about your house and your air quality issues. Reach us at 402-438-7992 right away 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.
