Air Quality

Air quality is directly linked to your day-to-day health and general well-being. It is also in a literal sense directly linked to your HVAC system. Air quality is one of those things where companies will scream out their “MERV ratings” and terms like “HEPA filter,” but what does any of that mean for you, and does it actually matter?

What are the key terms?

The big one here is MERV ratings. The higher the MERV rating, the smaller the particles the filter can remove at a higher efficiency. This buying guide from HVAC Training Shop runs through some more details about MERV ratings. Ratings between 1-4 are very basic and remove basic lint and carpet fibers, but not much else. Typical residential and commercial air filters fall in the 5-8 range and block out some common pollens and dust. These are adequate, but if you suffer from allergies or have respiratory issues, it can become a problem. MERV ratings above 9 block out pet dander, mold spores, fine dust particles, and the highest ratings can even block out viruses and bacteria. Home Depot uses its own system to rate filters called FPR, which scores from 1-10 instead of 1-20.

HEPA filters are filters that are higher grade than the MERV rating system, blocking over 99.97% of particles larger than .3 microns, including bacteria and viruses. Even if installing high MERV filters in your home isn’t a feasible option, contact Ideal Partners to receive a free estimate and learn about some of the other air quality solutions they can offer. Ideal Partners serves some of the best products from companies like Trane and Active to utilize top of the line UV light technology from Active and premium filtration technology from Trane that exceeds both the MERV and HEPA qualifications.

Why is it important?

Even the White House agrees that air quality plays a huge role in overall health, and your air filter could be selling you short. Different homes and businesses have different air filtration needs, depending on what they’re filtering out. If you have pets in your home, a higher MERV rated filter is necessary to remove pet dander from the indoor air.

Higher filter settings are good for the immunocompromised and can help reduce the spread of bacterial infections and in some cases viral infections as well.

If you’re concerned about air quality in your home due to your home’s HVAC filtration system, call Ideal Partners to receive a free estimate and talk to a professional about what the best solution is for you.