If you live in a newly built residence in Winnipeg, it was likely made with energy efficiency as a priority. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these enhancements are excellent for keeping your energy expenses reasonable, they’re not so great 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 receiving ample filtration. This style only gives the lowest level of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating 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, even more so if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory troubles.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a great solution. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide mighty filtration throughout your home. Depending on the kind you choose, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite systems 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 top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first developed to shield scientists as they made the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical facilities.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration process. A prefilter catches significant pollutants before the HEPA filter traps the rest of tiny particles. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and seamlessly links to your smart home. It combats the three key varieties of indoor air contaminants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can remove 99.9%* of pollutants, including mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also capable of decreasing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, as the result of laboratory and field studies, it removes and eradicates approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it easy to keep up. When linked with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll receive an alert to change 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 work with your needs. This rating determines how good filters are at removing contaminants. The higher the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is great for residences with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, because it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your home’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is great for families who desire enhanced protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter captures 99% of larger particles including 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 a great 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 smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to deliver this effective filtration without running up the cost of turning on your heating and cooling system.
These three media air cleaners work with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s essential to be aware that some of the denser ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can increase your energy bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the fault of why you get a painful sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a beneficial application when concealed within your ductwork. It’s also tough enough to eliminate germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, 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 halts these microorganisms from multiplying and moving throughout your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and running like it should. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi lurking inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these tasks without producing lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Pros
Your loved ones’ comfort and health is our top priority at Kirkfield Heating & Air Conditioning. We realize there are lots of options out there. That’s why we make it uncomplicated to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in making solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality problems. Call us at 204-272-8128 today to begin.
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.
