Indoor Air Quality: How to Improve the Air You Breathe
The truth is in our everyday lives, we take a lot for granted. Blame it on what you will but in America, by comparison to many other countries and especially by comparison to any other time period in history, we are afforded an overabundance of convenience. Nothing may quantify this more than our HVAC units.
If you are warm in the summer, chances are the first step you take is to locate your home’s air conditioner and reduce the temperature to whatever you deem acceptable. Likewise, in the wintertime, we often warm up by increasing our home’s temperature via modern-day furnace. We notice discomfort and position ourselves to correct it but why do we forget the other important roles our HVAC units play in our lives?
The answer is obvious because unless you live, breathe, and sleep HVAC you’re just expecting your unit to do its job while you watch funny dog videos on your smartphone or ask Alexa funny questions; however, your home or business’s HVAC unit does a lot more than simply control your structure’s temperature.
Indoor Air Quality, or IAQ, is basically a term used to define the quality of air that your HVAC unit is producing for your home or business. You’ve considered the temperature being produced, but what about the quality of air?
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Humans need air to breathe and survive, shocking I know, and your commercial or residential air conditioner has a big say in the overall quality produced. By optimizing things you already do around your home and knowing what to look for, you will be on your way to a higher level of Indoor Air Quality that will not only improve your health but also help you save on energy costs and untimely repairs. Let’s look closer at some of the things homeowners and business owners alike can implement to help their HVAC units produce an end product with high IAQ.
How to Improve Your Home or Business’s Air Quality
Getting the most out of the things you spend money on is a no-brainer. You should maximize the lifespan of your purchases as well as the output provided. With this helpful article, you’ll help your air conditioner help you by reducing stress on your HVAC unit.
Don’t Skip Your Chores
A long week grinding away at your 9 to 5 and it’s finally Saturday morning. It can be all too tempting to ignore that dusting duty or pretend the dust bunnies that scour the floor will sweep or vacuum themselves, but we know the truth.
Enjoy that extra cup of coffee and take your time getting up, you’ve earned it, but remember to complete that chore list. The reduction of dust will help your Indoor Air Quality initially; however, the biggest benefits come from the long term results. Less dust within your commercial or residential air conditioner or their respective components and your HVAC unit will produce cleaner air with less of a strain. Preventing strain on your air conditioner will help it last longer and work with increased ease. The easier your air conditioner works, the cooler your air will be; additionally, you will create a cooler end product using less energy, which also reduces your home or business’s energy costs.
Thinking you can go another month without changing that air filter?
In the same manner that dusting and sweeping will help your home in the long run, definitely, don’t skimp and neglect your air conditioner’s last line of defense in the name of filtration. Changing your air filter at least once every month, especially if you own pets, is at the cornerstone of maintaining your HVAC unit and a high level of Indoor Air Quality. Basic chores do more than initially meets the eye.
Deep Clean Your Air Ducts
There’s good news and bad news here. The bad news is that we’re growing your chore list a bit with this suggestion. The good news, however, is that you don’t have to worry about doing this step yourself. Cleaning your air ducts can and should be left to a professional
Hiring a responsible HVAC contractor for routine or seasonal maintenance on your home or business’s air conditioner allows your unit time for inspection from a trained eye and a deeper clean than is normally provided. The benefits are in tune with the rest of our goals. Less stress will create better IAQ, fewer breakdowns, a longer life, and cooler air.
Another great benefit of having your air ducts cleaned is that it only should happen after a major event such as a considerable renovation or mold infestation. Other than something extensive and out of the ordinary, this chore can be completed once or twice a year in conjunction with your regular maintenance. Comparatively, this is a very hands-free method of assisting your HVAC unit that can help tremendously in the long run.
Control Your Home’s Pollution
Yes, your home or business can contain indoor pollutants you may overlook. In fact, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has provided a great list of indoor pollutants that can hinder not only your IAQ but ultimately you and your inhabitant’s health and quality of life.
It may seem like common sense to keep a home tidy and when we think of pollution it is easy to get wrapped up with some horrible image of an oil spill or the infamous Houston haze that can be seen through the skyline. The problem here is that smaller, realistic threats exist and are the areas in which our homes and businesses are most vulnerable.
Do you allow toxic waste to lay next to your bedside?
We’re going to assume that you don’t, but what about being exposed to radon or asbestos or aerosols?
Protecting your structure by becoming aware of these threats is the first step. We have already established that it can be possible to overlook things we take for granted and beyond helping your home or business’s air conditioner work more efficiently, these are steps that can drastically improve the quality of life and overall health associated with your home or business’s inhabitants. Using detectors for chemicals and other hazardous substances can help protect you and may even save a life.
Quality Indoor Air Conditioning for an Affordable Price
Producing air for your home business at a comfortable temperature for an affordable rate. This is the heart of what we do over at Cruz Air & Electric. A pillar in the Humble, Texas community, Robert Cruz and his technicians have helped find air conditioning solutions for customers since 1982. If you’re already suspecting that your residential air conditioner or commercial air conditioner is past its prime, contact the experts at Cruz and see what we can do today.
