Indoor Air Quality

Improving Your Home's Indoor Air Quality

Common Air Pollutants In The Home

You might be negatively impacting your home's IAQ without even realizing it. Some of the most common air pollutants in the home include: Toxic materials such as lead, pesticides, and asbestos Biological pollutants such as mold and mildew Natural contaminants such as pet dander and radon Combustion byproducts such as tobacco smoke and carbon monoxide Luckily, you can take steps to improve your home's IAQ and help safeguard your children's health. Here are some ways to reduce harmful pollutants and improve the air inside your home.

The Four Biggest Factors Affecting The Comfort Of Your Home.

1Temperature

When you talk about the weather, what’s the first factor you define? Temperature.“It’s hot out.” “It’s cool and cloudy.” “Warm and muggy.” But temperature isn’t inherently stable. A room with the perfect temperature is in a constant struggle with external factors. Sunlight coming through a window adds heat. A draft coming in under the door lets heat escape. Even your own body can affect the temperature in a room. (The average human generates as much heat as a 100-watt light bulb(*).) So a comfortable temperature isn’t just about getting there, it’s about maintaining. It’s by far the most influential to your comfort. And it’s the only factor that most conventional thermostats let you control.

2Humidity

It’s not the heat, it's… yes, it’s the humidity, which can have a huge impact on how your room feels. Second only to temperature in its ability to affect comfort, humidity does more than most people realize. Humidity is made up of tiny water droplets in the air. And while these droplets are incredibly small, they can still prevent your body’s natural cooling response – sweating – from being nearly as effective. After all, moisture from your skin can’t evaporate (taking heat with it) if it has no place to go. Humid air also feels heavier and stickier, both of which add to the discomfort you feel on a hot day. In fact, humidity can affect the “felt temperature” by as much as 8 degrees, even if the actual temperature doesn’t change at all.** So the drier the air, the cooler it will feel. Which means that if you’re in a cool room that isn’t properly dehumidified, you’ll actually feel less cool than if you were in a room with drier air that was a few degrees warmer. In summer, proper humidity levels will let you set your thermostat a few degrees warmer without sacrificing comfort. Which helps you use less energy.

3Air quality

A room with dirty air doesn’t feel as good. Airborne impurities can irritate eyes, noses and lungs, and create odors that make any space uncomfortable. There are three main offenders when it comes to air quality: Particles - made up of dust, dirt, pet dander and allergens, such as pollen Mold, Mildew and Germs - the tiny organisms floating in your air that thrive in damp environments and greatly exacerbate allergies and asthma Chemical Vapors and Odors - generated by cleaning products, paint, adhesives and other chemicals found in nearly every home Filtration can take care of some of these pollutants, however, a UV germicidal light can add an extra layer of protection for the cleanliness, and comfort, of your air. For truly clean and fresh air, the Lennox PureAir™ Air Purification System uses three different types of air cleaning technology to fight every class of contaminant. It’s the only system of its kind on the market.

4Control

Obviously, if humidity, temperature and air quality can change the way your environment feels, the ability to control those three factors is pretty important. Having the right home heating and air-conditioning system, controlled by the proper thermostat, will let you create and preserve your perfect indoor space. Conventional thermostats let you control the temperature, and that’s a good start. But for a thermostat with humidity control, consider the ComfortSense 7500, and iComfort® Wi-Fi, each of which offer independent adjustment of moisture levels in the air. For an in-home comfort consultation to solve all four issues and create your perfect space, please contact your nearest Lennox Dealer.

Let's Clear The Air

Since 1895, Lennox has been in the business of making the air around us perfectly comfortable. We’re pretty much perfect air experts.

If you have babies and children at home, you should especially be aware of your home's Indoor Air Quality. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), which refers to the air quality within and around your home as it relates to health and comfort, is critical to your overall wellness. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that children and babies are more susceptible to the effects of contaminated air because they breathe in more oxygen relative to their body weight than adults.

Indoor Air Quality is a growing concern. The air inside the home is up to 5 times more polluted than the air outside.

Replace or Upgrade Filter

Unmatched purification

Many air-cleaning systems filter out particles. Some destroy germs, and some attack odors. The PureAir^™S Air Purification System is a smart whole-home solution that combats all three major types of indoor air contaminants.

Healthier, Cleaner Air

Unlike other air purification products on the market, the PureAir™ S system does not produce any ozone as a by-product and actively works to reduce ozone, a known lung irritant†

Install a Qualified Humidifier

The ideal balance for your home and family

A Healthy Climate^® whole-home humidifier adds moisture to your home’s air and works with your heating system to circulate it to every room. That means you can stay warm and cozy without the problems associated with dry air, such as skin irritations and sore throats.

More effective than portable units

Healthy Climate bypass humidifiers use your air handler or furnace fan to direct humidified air through your home. As whole-home systems, they offer greater comfort than portable units.

Get a Smart Thermostat

A smart thermostat, such as the iComfort^® S30 ultra-smart thermostat, can give you some peace of mind by monitoring your home's humidity levels and air-purification-system filters. It'll let you know when your filter needs to be changed, which allows you to avoid the bacteria that often comes from not changing a filter regularly enough.

Compatibility with Alexa makes comfort even easier.

Enjoy perfect integration with Apple HomeKit.

Air Conditioning Solutions from Alliance

We started doing heating and cooling work in 1974, and since then have earned a reputation for doing the job right. We are Lennox authorized dealers, and as a result, our technicians have a level of factory training that can’t be beaten. We are also fully qualified, Carrier dealers. Best of all, with our guarantee, you know we’ll be there for you in case of any problems. To learn what actual customers think about our award-winning services, check out our reviews on Homestars.

Tel: 905-470-7555

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HVAC Terminology & Abbreviations You Need To Know

When you’re researching new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning products, or HVAC products, for your home, it can often feel like you’re wading through a whirlpool of acronyms and initialisms. BTU, SEER, EER, AFUE. What does it all mean? You might wonder about the benefits of choosing an Energy Star® product or how Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) is used to rank the efficiency of air filters.