If you live in a newer house in Omaha, it was in all likelihood built with energy efficiency in mind. This means more insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these improvements are good for keeping your heating and cooling bills under control, they’re not so good for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing adequate filtration. This model only gives the bare minimum of protection by stopping dust from getting into your home comfort system.
While you can get a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, particularly if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory troubles.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide strong filtration around your house. Depending on the kind you go with, you’ll be able to filter allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite 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, delivers top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first created to protect scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a staple in hospitals and other medical applications.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration process. A prefilter attracts significant particles before the HEPA filter traps remaining smaller pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and easily integrates with your smart home. It combats the three leading types of indoor air pollutants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can eliminate 99.9%* of pollutants, such as mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also potent at removing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it decreases and destroys approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S is equipped with sensing features that make it easy to maintain. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to replace the 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 calculates how effective filters are at capturing contaminants. The greater the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for residences with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-level filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for homes who are seeking enhanced protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter traps 99% of larger particles such as 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 offer this strong filtration without driving up the cost of operating your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s essential to know that some of the thicker ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can increase your utility bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a stinging sunburn. But this type of light has a helpful application when placed within your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In actuality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can reduce the number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as quickly as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which prohibits these microorganisms from growing and moving around your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and operating like it should. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi lurking in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all these tasks without producing lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Support of Our Air Purification Pros
Your household’s comfort and health is our top priority at Interstate 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 fit your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality issues. Reach us at 402-509-5940 today 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.