Breathe Better…Live Better
Air Purification by Quality Air Conditioning
Why is it so important?
Conversations about indoor air quality usually point out the risks and/or benefits for those who suffer with asthma and allergies. However, asthmatics and allergy sufferers aren’t the only ones who are affected. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the American Lung Association (ALA), and the American Heart Association (AHA) all agree that contaminants and allergens in the air in our homes impair breathing and increases our risks for serious health issues including stroke, heart attack and other illnesses.
Many studies in the U.S and around the world have found that improving air quality reduces the risk of serious respiratory and cardiovascular problems AND lengthens the average lifespan.
Quality Air Conditioning provides many ways to improve the air you and your family breathe. These include:
- Electronic Air Cleaners – Using physical filters, ionization, and ozone generation, these state-of-the-art units process contaminated air as it is pushed through three mechanisms. Each mechanism eliminates a different kind of contaminant, ultimately providing clean and fresh air.
- Filters – The basic principle is to use special dense materials to filter air as it passes through the system. It’s important to remember that air filters FILTER the air; they do not treat the air. Different filters offer different advantages:
- HEPA Filters – HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air. Filters meeting the HEPA standard are most often used in medical facilities, cars, aircraft, and homes. To qualify as a HEPA filter, it must remove 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or greater.
- Media Filters – Media filters are installed in the return duct of virtually any forced air cooling system. As air flows through the system, this filter traps particles as small as 1.0 microns, including pollen, dust, and dander.
- Merv Filters – Merv refers to a rating standard (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) used to determine the overall effectiveness of an air filter. These are generally considered the ‘first line of defense’ filters. The higher the Merv rating, the finer the particles it is able to remove.
- Electrostatic Metal Filters – These washable filters generally don’t have to be replaced. Made of multiple layers of vented metal, they positively charge air molecules as the air passes through the first layer. The resulting charge helps trap particles in the filter.
- Charcoal Filters – Their vast surface area allows these filters to absorb exponentially more contaminants and allergens than traditional carbon. This unique process enables organic compounds in the air to chemically react with the activated carbon, causing the contaminants to stick to the filter.
- HEPA Bypass Filtration System – This system is capable of removing nearly all allergy-inducing contaminants, including even the smallest particles and bacteria. These systems are so effective that the same type of technology is used in hospital operating rooms and science laboratories throughout the nation.
- Germicidal Purifiers – These units use a variety of materials and technologically advanced processes that eliminate airborne pathogens. Many of these systems have undergone stringent independent testing and have been found to be effective against germs that cause influenza, strep throat, colds, staph infections, and even tuberculosis. The materials and technologies used include UV-C germicidal light, silver nanoparticles, and heat sterilization chambers, all of which have proven extremely effective at eliminating both.
- Humidifiers – Viruses and bacteria cannot travel as well in moist air. They help prevent the damaging effects of dry air such as dry sinuses and sore noses and throats. They can even improve sleep.
- UV Light (on coils) – Since 1903, UV Light has been used to kill mold and mildew. Today, it’s been proven effective in killing bacteria. In fact, Duke University Medical Center used UV-C to nearly eliminate drug-resistant bacteria in 50 hospital rooms, reducing the number of bacteria by more than 97%. A UV Light is mounted on the inside of an air handler and is constantly ‘on’.
- Plasma Light – Plasma light uses energetic plasma or dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma to remove impurities and contaminants from the air.