The quality of life we lead also depends on the quality of the air we breathe. Pollution adversely impacts our health, well-being and productivity. We conjure up images of smoke-billowing industries or chock-a-block vehicular smoke when we think about pollution. Yet, we rarely think of indoor air pollution.
Why?
Is the air inside your home safe?
How clean is the air inside your home?
Can you improve the air quality in your homes?
Let’s find out.
Indoor air quality signifies the quality of air within and around homes, offices and other structures. It has been proven that the quality of the air we breathe has a direct short-term and long-term impact on our health.
Indoor Air Quality, or IAQ, can be affected by several factors, such as humidity, temperature, indoor pollutants and dust.
Some of the indoor air pollutants include,
Outdoor pollutants easily enter your homes through the windows, doors and other ventilation. Some of the outdoor dust and pollutants get drawn through the HVAC system. Over time, the dust mites and pollutants accumulate and get distributed throughout the home through the HVAC system.
While some health effects show up almost immediately, others are long-term. The most common immediate effects are irritation of the throat, nose and eyes, mild headaches, dizziness, allergic cold and aggravated sinus congestion.
Since most of these symptoms are similar to the common cold, it is difficult to pinpoint their exact cause. Yet, their impact can be reduced if exposure to the pollutants can be limited. Long-term effects of indoor air pollution are asthma, heart disease and other respiratory conditions.
Adequate ventilation and airflow hold the key to better indoor air quality. In addition to ample natural ventilation, it is important to focus on the HVAC system, humidity and temperature control.
Your air conditioner works by drawing warm indoor air and injecting colder air using a heat exchanger and refrigerant loop.
As the air con removes the indoor air, it also draws out the contaminants from the air. Additionally, it also draws out the moisture from indoor air, helping reduce the growth of mould, and fungi. The air con uses its air filters to trap the dust, pollutants and mould and prevent it from recirculating back into your home.
Here are 4 things you can do to improve the indoor air quality of your home with air conditioners
The primary function of an air filter is to clean and filter the air that circulates through the HVAC system. The filter traps and holds the dust, contaminants, dirt and mould and prevents it from circulating in the house. Keeping the air filters clean and dust-free will help you maintain better indoor air quality.
Unless your air filters are well and working, you can’t improve the IAQ of your home. The efficacy of an air filter is measured by the minimum efficiency value or the MERV rating. MERV ranges from 1 to 20, with a higher MERV rating denoting efficient filtration.
Replacing worn air filters with HEPA or High-Efficiency Particle Air Filters helps remove dust particles and allergens from indoor air.
The increase in humidity and moisture in the indoor air can act as a breeding ground for mould, mildew and allergens.
Maintaining an ideal temperature and humidity is critical to curbing the growth of irritating moulds and asthma-triggering allergens. Adjust the thermostat settings according to the seasons and persisting temperature.
The fine dust and debris circulating in your home can get trapped in your air conditioner’s ductwork which can significantly impact the IAQ of your home. So, all the dust and fine particulates in the ductwork end up circulating in the air you breathe.
A thorough cleaning of the ductwork should be a part of your overall air conditioning maintenance system. You should hire a reliable and experienced air conditioning maintenance agency that will ensure thorough cleaning of pollen, fine dust, pet dander, and mould spores from the ductwork. A trained specialist will know exactly where to look for the dust to avoid the breakdown of your HVAC system.
Maintaining an air conditioning system is a complex engineering task, and it requires the help of qualified, certified and experienced professionals to help it work to its optimum level.
When the air con unit is not cleaned properly or worn-out parts are not replaced on time, it can end up adversely impacting the indoor air quality. For example, the air filters in the air con should be spruced cleaned or replaced depending on the amount of accumulated dust. While some types of cleaning can be taken up as a DIY project, for complete and thorough cleaning and replacement of components, you have to hire professionals.
The best air conditioning installation and maintenance professional equipped with proven experience, certification and expertise is Hamilton Air Conditioning. Regardless of the type and brand of air conditioner you have at home, we have the skill to create a healthier home for you. Contact our technicians to find out how we can improve your home’s air quality.
Matthew Connery is the Director of Hamilton Air Conditioning in London. He is a skilled Business Strategist who delivers energy-efficient and cost-saving solutions to commercial and domestic clients from leading air conditioning brands.
