If you own a newly constructed residence in Omaha, it was probably built with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means greater amounts of insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these improvements are excellent for keeping your energy expenses reasonable, they’re not so good for your indoor air quality.
Your heating and cooling system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing adequate filtration. This type only provides the lowest level of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.
While you can upgrade to a pleated filter or one with a higher MERV rating, it still might not be ample filtration, especially 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 attached within ductwork to provide strong filtration across your house. Depending on the type you go with, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top styles 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, provides top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first developed to guard scientists as they worked on the atomic bomb. Today, they’re necessary in hospitals and other medical operations.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System has a three-step filtration procedure. A prefilter draws bigger pollutants before the HEPA filter traps the rest of miniscule irritants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and easily works with your smart home. It combats the three leading varieties of indoor air contaminants:
- Airborne particles
- Chemical odors and vapors
- Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions
This air purifier can get rid of 99.9%* of pollutants, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also effective at decreasing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it removes and eliminates approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S includes sensing features that make it easy to service. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to change the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be used with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners come in in a variety of MERV ratings to fit your needs. This rating determines how effective filters are at capturing contaminants. The better the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is ideal for families with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it removes more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for homes who want stronger protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter captures 99% of larger particles including dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of smaller particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a fantastic air purifier for allergies and in houses with pets. It eliminates 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 powerful filtration without driving up the cost of operating your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s critical to know that some of the denser ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can inflate your heating and cooling bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to blame when you get a stinging sunburn. But this type of light has a useful application when installed inside your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the concentration of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as little as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from growing and spreading around your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and operating efficiently. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all these tasks without creating lung-aggravating ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Support of Our Air Purification Pros
Your family’s comfort and health matters to us at The Frazier Company. We realize there are a lot of possibilities out there. That’s why we make it easy to collaborate with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in recommending solutions that meet your needs and budget, and we’d love to find out more about your house and your air quality problems. Call us at 402-628-0206 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.
