August is National Wellness Month, a time to focus on creating healthy habits, managing stress and taking care of yourself. One simple but important way that you can take care of yourself this August is by improving the air quality in your home.
Air quality has a significant impact on our health and improving air quality can help prevent a number of diseases, allergies and respiratory illnesses. Given the amount of time that your family spends inside your home, it’s important that you have good indoor air quality.
Today we’ll focus on the importance of air quality and wellness by talking about the impact that your HVAC system has on your air quality and ways that you can maintain good indoor air quality.
Your HVAC System and Air Quality
Many times we don’t associate HVAC systems and air quality, but the reality is that HVAC systems play an important part of ensuring that your home’s air is clean and safe.
It’s your HVAC system that removes dangerous contaminants, pollutants, allergens and dust mites from the air that your family breathes every day. Interestingly, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 50% of all illnesses are either caused or aggravated by poor indoor air quality.
Clearly, modern HVAC systems play an important role in our everyday quality of life and health. Given their significance, it’s important to ensure that they’re working properly and that they provide the best indoor air quality possible.
Maintaining Indoor Air Quality
One way that you can maintain or improve your home’s air quality is by routinely replacing air filters. And, there are different types of air filters available that can meet your family’s unique air quality needs. Here are the major types of filters:
Flat, fiberglass filters: these are the most common type of air filters as they’re affordable, come in a variety of sizes and are easy to replace. However, they don’t catch all particles, so if you have family members with allergies, these might not be the right choice.- Pleated filters: these filters are better at catching all dust particles and help individuals with allergies, but they are more expensive than flat, fiberglass filters.
- Electrostatic air filters: these filters last longer than other options and only need to be replaced about every six months; however, they are not good at catching tiny particles (like smoke) and can produce dangerous ozone substances.
- HEPA filters: these filters effectively trap particles of all sizes, but they’re so effective that they also restrict the airflow in your home, which can increase your utility bill and result in your system not working as effectively.
Flat, fiberglass filters: these are the most common type of air filters as they’re affordable, come in a variety of sizes and are easy to replace. However, they don’t catch all particles, so if you have family members with allergies, these might not be the right choice.Whatever type of filters you use, it’s important that you change them consistently to maintain good air quality in your home.
Fully Preparing for Back to School
In addition to wellness, we often associate August with back to school preparations. As you shop for supplies and complete all necessary back to school requirements, don’t forget about preparing your home for back to school.
Going back to school means that your kids will be exposed to more germs and illnesses. One way that you can help protect them is by ensuring that your indoor air quality is high and that your air is free of contaminants and pollutants. As a result, now is the right time to focus on your indoor air quality.
Your HVAC system plays an important role in your family’s quality of life. Given its role in keeping your family healthy and safe, you always want to ensure that your system is functioning properly and safely. If you have any questions or concerns about your home’s air quality, call Burnside Air Conditioning, Heating & Indoor Air Quality today at (972) 562-7789.