Many people understand how harmful outdoor air pollution like car emissions can be, but they don’t realize that the air inside the usual house often is more polluted—reliant on actual situations, it can be up to five times more. Things have become so damaging, the EPA has indoor air pollution tiered 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, good indoor air quality is crucial for good health, regardless if it’s in our homes or our workplaces. To help manage this pollution and increase our indoor air quality, we can take several measures. But first, we are required to absorb some vernacular commonly 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 capture at least 99.97% of .3-micron particles (smaller than the diameter of a human hair) from the air that filters through the system. This drastically increases your home’s indoor air quality when dust, pollen, mites and other contaminants are trapped.
MERV
Minimum efficiency reporting value or MERV expresses the effectiveness of an air filter. With ratings ranging from 1–16, you should pursue a max rating that indicates the filter will destroy more contaminants and allergens from your air without restricting the airflow of your home comfort system. Ask us which MERV-rated filter will work best for your home.
At Ocean Air Conditioning and Heating , we can help you understand the importance of indoor air quality and help you work on breathing the best air possible. After all, the typical adult breathes about 11,000 liters of air each day. Give us a call at 949-317-4175 if you have any questions or concerns about your home comfort system or if you want to schedule an appointment with us.