If you have a newly constructed home in Des Moines, it was likely built with energy efficiency in mind. This means more insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these enhancements are fantastic for keeping your energy costs economical, they’re not so good for your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing enough filtration. This style only provides the bare minimum of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.
While you can install a pleated filter or one with a better MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, especially if someone in your home has allergies or other respiratory issues.
That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a great solution. These systems are attached within ductwork to provide powerful filtration around your house. Depending on the model you choose, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.
Here are our favorite 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, gives premium filtration. These filters were first created to protect scientists as they created the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical settings.
The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration process. A prefilter catches significant pollutants before the HEPA filter catches the rest of smaller pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter takes care of odors and chemical vapors.
The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and seamlessly works with your smart home. It reduces the three leading types of indoor air pollutants:
- 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 capable of reducing or eliminating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, as the result of laboratory and field studies, it removes and destroys approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.
The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it easy to service. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll receive an alert to install a new 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 come in in a variety of MERV ratings to work with your needs. This rating measures how good filters are at removing contaminants. The greater the number, the finer the filtration.
The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of unhealthy particles from your house’s air.
The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for homes who are looking for better protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter captures 99% of larger particles like dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of finer particles down to 0.3 microns.4
The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a fantastic 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 smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to offer this strong filtration without increasing the bill for turning on your home comfort system.
These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. However, it’s important to be aware that some of the more substantial ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can inflate your energy bills.
3. UV Air Purifiers
The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a painful sunburn. But this wavelength of light has a beneficial application when placed inside your ductwork. It’s also tough enough to eliminate germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.
In fact, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can lower the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as short as 45 minutes.5 This light damages cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from growing and infiltrating around your house.
And this UV air purifier can also help keep your heating and cooling system clean and running properly. It eliminates of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier achieves all this work without creating lung-inflaming ozone.6
Breathe Easier with the Help of Our Air Purification Pros
Your loved ones’ comfort and health is our top priority at Heartland Heating & Cooling. We know there are lots of options out there. That’s why we make it easy to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in making solutions tailored to your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your residence and your air quality issues. Call us at 515-344-3579 today 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.