Many people are aware of how detrimental outdoor air pollution like car emissions can be, but they don’t realize that the air inside the typical house might be more polluted—depending on actual conditions, it can be up to five times more. Things have become so bad, the EPA has indoor air pollution classified as a top five environmental danger. Mold, pollen, pet dander, radon and even formaldehyde are commonly found in homes. Since Americans spend an average of 90% of their time indoors, superior indoor air quality is a necessity for great health, no matter if it’s in our homes or our workplaces. To help handle this pollution and increase our indoor air quality, we can take different measures. But first, we must to grasp some vernacular consistently used to discuss indoor air quality.
HEPA
HEPA is a term most people have heard or seen, but did you know it stands for “high-efficiency particulate air” or “high-efficiency particulate arrestance”? HEPA filtration systems are engineered—and certified—to capture at least 99.97% of .3-micron particles (smaller than the diameter of a human hair) from the air that passes through the system. This significantly increases your home’s indoor air quality when dust, pollen, mites and other contaminants are captured.
MERV
Minimum efficiency reporting value or MERV expresses the effectiveness of an air filter. With ratings ranging from 1–16, you should find a top rating that reveals the filter will remove more contaminants and allergens from your air without confining the airflow of your home comfort system. Ask us which MERV-rated filter will work best for your home.
At JTech Mechanical, we can help you understand the importance of indoor air quality and help you work on breathing the best air possible. After all, the average adult inhales about 11,000 liters of air each day. Give us a call at 281-231-8768 if you have any questions or concerns about your home comfort system or if you want to schedule an appointment with us.