Tips for Better Indoor Air Quality

Your HVAC system can do a lot more than control temperature. It's also a key player in improving indoor air quality by managing humidity, providing proper air purification and decreasing airborne irritants. YORK® is your expert source for indoor air quality (IAQ) products that do just that.

Many people with allergies or asthma take refuge inside when airborne irritants are prevalent outside. But the air inside your home may not be helping. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, there are three things you can do to improve air quality when it comes with things like dust mites, pet dander and other irritants: 1) Control your contact with indoor airborne allergens. 2) Ventilate your indoor areas well. 3) Use air cleaners to clean indoor air. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says better indoor air quality at home can reduce allergy and asthma triggers.

Choosing and replacing your air filters and media air cleaners is key. Return air filters have come a long way since the days of the typical 1" filter. 4" filters are designed to last longer and remove smaller particles from the air. This means less maintenance and better indoor air quality. Not only does this benefit your family's health, it also helps to protect the system by keeping critical components clean and operating efficiently.

Tightly sealed homes help keep heat out in the summer and cold out in the winter, but a lack of fresh air can cause airborne irritants and pollutants to build up in your home. Introducing fresh air into your home – and releasing stale, contaminated air – is an excellent way to improve household air quality. IAQ products that can help include YORK® ventilators because they provide fresh air year-round and remove stale air from your home. Adding a ventilator to your home can also improve the overall efficiency of your HVAC system by recovering exhaust air to heat or cool your home.

Humidity levels greatly affect the temperature in your home. Higher humidity levels can cause a room to feel too hot, and humidity levels that are too low can make a room feel too cool. An imbalance in humidity can also provide an ideal environment for irritants, including mold, bacteria and viruses. Humidifiers and dehumidifiers built into your HVAC system provide a quiet, continuous adjustment of indoor humidity levels.

Whole-home air purification seamlessly integrates with your HVAC system to remove up to 98% of irritating airborne particles, including pollen, pet dander, dust, mold, bacteria and some viruses. The result can give you better indoor air quality and help alleviate allergy and asthma triggers. An IAQ product from YORK® that can help is an ultraviolet germicidal light, which can be installed in the ductwork of your system to destroy mold and bacteria. This add-on will also improve the efficiency of your HVAC system, saving you money while making your air cleaner. Here are the top three benefits of including whole-home air purification from YORK® into your HVAC system: