If you own a newer house in Greater Richmond, it was probably made with energy efficiency as a priority. This means greater amounts of insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these enhancements are fantastic for keeping your utility bill in check, they’re not so excellent for your indoor air quality.
Your home comfort system needs to operate with a filter. But if you install a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing adequate filtration. This model only delivers the bare minimum of protection by stopping dust from getting into your HVAC system.
While you can get a pleated filter or one with a better MERV rating, it still might not be enough 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 good option. These systems are attached within ductwork to provide mighty filtration across your home. Depending on the kind you select, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our top options 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 the best filtration. These filters were first developed to shield scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re necessary in hospitals and other medical buildings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System includes a three-step filtration method. A prefilter draws larger pollutants before the HEPA filter traps remaining smaller pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and easily integrates with your smart home. It reduces the three key kinds 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, like mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also effective at reducing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, according to laboratory and field studies, it reduces and eliminates approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it uncomplicated to keep up. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to replace the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be linked with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.
2. Media Air Cleaners
Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are available in a variety of MERV ratings to work with your needs. This rating determines how effective filters are at removing contaminants. The better the number, the better the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is ideal for homes 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 eliminates more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your residence’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for homes who are seeking better protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 99% of larger particles such as 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 great air purifier for allergies and in residences with pets. It catches more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of miniscule ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to provide this powerful filtration without running up the bill for turning on your HVAC system.
These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. But despite that, it’s important to know that some of the thicker ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can hike up your heating and cooling expenses.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are to the reason why you get a stinging sunburn. But this kind of light has a useful application when placed in your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to eliminate 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 destroys cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from multiplying and infiltrating around your residence.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and working efficiently. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi lurking inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier accomplishes all this work without creating lung-irritating ozone.6
Breathe Better with the Help of Our Air Purification Specialists
Your household’s comfort and health is important to us at Herman Allen Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. We are aware there are lots of solutions out there. That’s why we make it easy to partner with our indoor air quality professionals. We specialize in recommending solutions that fit your needs and budget, and we’d love to find out more about your home and your air quality challenges. Reach us at 804-302-6657 now to get started.
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.