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 home often is more polluted—contingent on actual circumstances, it can be up to five times more. Things have become so damaging, 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 around 90% of their time indoors, good indoor air quality is a necessity for decent health, no matter if it’s in our homes or our workplaces. To help contain this pollution and increase our indoor air quality, we can take different measures. But first, we need to grasp some terms consistently 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 engineered—and certified—to confine at least 99.97% of .3-micron particles (tinier than the diameter of a human hair) from the air that moves 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 refers to the effectiveness of an air filter. With ratings ranging from 1–16, you should pursue 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 Three Rivers Heating & Cooling, 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 503-213-4433 if you have any questions or concerns about your home comfort system or if you want to schedule an appointment with us.