Effective Ways to Improve Your Indoor Air Quality

Controlling your indoor air quality is essential to your health. This can be exceptionally difficult during those colder winter months. According to the EPA, there are 3 main strategies for improving indoor air quality.

• Source Control
• Improved Ventilation
• Air Cleaners

Each of these areas can have a profound impact on the overall quality of your home’s air.

Controlling Pollutants is the key to Improved Indoor Air Quality

Exposure to pollutants will significantly decrease your indoor air quality. While eliminating pollutants entirely is nearly impossible, conscious awareness of pollutants can help to minimize your exposure. Pollutants come in many forms such as asbestos, carbon monoxide, lead, pesticides, radon, respirable particles, tobacco smoke, stoves/heaters/fireplace/chimneys and biological pollutants. Any of these pollutants can cause significant deterioration in your health. Prolonged overexposure can even result in death. Limiting your exposure to these pollutants will not only improve your home’s indoor air quality, it will also improve your overall health.

Source control is generally the most cost effective means of improving air quality because it does not generally have an impact on the overall efficiency of your home.

Improve Indoor Air Quality by Improving Ventilation

Improving ventilation can be done a variety of ways. An initial consultation with your HVAC expert can provide you with many options for improving your home’s ventilation system. Certified HVAC technicians can provide quality solutions to indoor air pollutants like mold, pollen, dust mites, allergens and more. Many of these solutions also work efficiently with your current heating and cooling system to deliver fresh air in your home on a continual basis.

An ERV, energy recovery ventilator, introduces fresh air into your home by placing the house under positive pressure to minimize outside infiltration. This reduces contaminants inside the home.

Whole house dehumidifiers remove excess moisture from your home. Reducing indoor humidity levels prevents mold and dust mites from spreading while allowing your home to be cooled quicker.

Air Cleaners Remove Pollutants from Your Air to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Indoor air cleaners range in size and price depending on the desired result. Whole house air cleaners are generally the most effective at improving indoor air quality throughout your home. Smaller systems are limited to the areas where they are located and are generally not as efficient or effective at removing pollutants. Clean Air Systems provide a high efficiency filtration system that works in conjunction with your current system to reduce asthma triggers and allergens, thus improving indoor air quality by 80 – 99.9%. A consultation with your HVAC expert can help you determine if this is the right option for you.

Improving indoor air quality is essential to maintaining your health. We are continually exposed to pollutants in our homes, so it is essential to determine effective means for overcoming this exposure. Limiting the sources and improving ventilation are the primary ways to improve indoor air quality. If you are located in Austin or the surrounding area, Casa Mechanical can assist you in determining the best options for improving your indoor air quality. Contact us today to schedule your consultation.