IAQ Concerns for Valentine's Day

Some holidays raise more IAQ concerns (indoor air quality) especially Christmas and New Years. Even though it’s not as widely celebrated, Valentine’s Day is another celebration that can degrade IAQ as well.Between the gifts and the décor, this holiday could introduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into your air that might be mildly irritating or cause serious reactions. VOCs are gases that come from anything made from a hydrocarbon.Found in household cleaning products, air fresheners, candles, makeup and hair sprays, a Valentine’s Day celebration could leave behind respiratory irritants and chemicals that could have a serious long-term impact.

Limiting IAQ Concerns

• Instead of lighting paraffin candles made from wax, choose those made from beeswax or soy. If you want scented candles, choose those scented with essential oils rather than manufactured perfumes. The labels should indicate if they’re natural.

• Skip the aerosol air fresheners or those that plug into the walls. They’re usually loaded with VOCs. Weather permitting, open a window to pull in fresh air or freshen the air naturally.

• Look around your home. Sometimes odors indicate pet or kitchen odors that deep cleaning will remove. Use natural products like baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide to clean rather than the perfumed commercial cleaners.

Since Valentine’s Day is the holiday of love, show yours to your family and friends by giving up the use of artificial fragrances in your home as much as possible. Many people associate scented products with freshness and cleanliness, but in fact, public health experts have plenty of IAQ concerns regarding them. Some cause respiratory irritations while others are responsible for more serious organ damage and even cancer. Young and old people are most at risk for VOC exposure from artificial scents. You can find unscented products throughout grocery store aisles. You can also use your HVAC system to address IAQ concerns year-round by adding air cleaners and UV (ultraviolet) lights.

To learn more, contact Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Celebrate High-Tech Month with These HVAC Products

Why not add some HVAC products embedded with high-technology to honor the month of January. They’ll bring a new level of function to your home that will be as useful as it is interesting.

Wi-Fi and Smart Thermostats

By their nature, thermostats that you can control from anywhere have to be among the smartest products to use in your home to control its energy use. These thermostats let you monitor your home from anywhere you can get a Wi-Fi signal.Some thermostats track room occupancy to adjust the temperatures. Others have features that tell you when the unit needs servicing or when a part is malfunctioning. Overall, smart and Wi-Fi thermostats save considerable amounts of energy for people who aren’t home 24/7 or travel a lot. They’re also useful to control temperatures remotely.

Air Purifiers

Considering the high volume of air that you breathe daily, installing a central air purifier will clean the air and reduce the symptoms of allergies or asthma. You can choose from UV (ultraviolet) air purifiers and the advanced systems that eradicate the pollutants in the air without using filtration.

Air Quality Monitors

If you’re not sure you need an air purifier, start smaller with an air quality monitor. If your garage is attached and someone in your home has a hobby that uses chemicals, an air purifier will alert you when the air isn’t necessarily safe to breathe. Harmful but all too common airborne chemicals include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that cause a variety of complaints and serious illnesses will show up on the monitor, as well as. Other dangerous gases include carbon monoxide and dioxide and radon.

Advanced Heat Pumps

If you need a new heating and cooling system, consider an advanced heat pump with variable-speed operation. These kinds save tremendous energy and ensure your comfort using high-tech sensors to monitor indoor and outdoor temperatures and adjust their running speeds accordingly.

If you’d like more information about any of these HVAC products and others, talk to a pro at Air Assurance, providing HVAC services for Broken Arrow homeowners.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Controlling Dust in Your Home

Winter is a season when dust problems are amplified as homes are closed up for the cold. Controlling dust can feel like a full-time job in your Broken Arrow home, but there are some steps you can take to make it a little easier to keep the space clean. Here are some tips for controlling dust in your home.

Change the Air Filter

When was the last time you changed the air filter in your HVAC system? One of the air filter's main jobs is controlling dust, so take some time now to swap it out with a clean one. If you've changed it recently and are still having troubles with dust, consider installing a more efficient model. Check with an HVAC professional to see which models are recommended for your home.

Clean the Ducts

If your ductwork is lined with dust, it's going to get circulated through your home. Consider having it professionally cleaned to remove that dust, then trust the air filter to do the job of keeping further dust at bay.

Install an Air Cleaner

In high-dust households or in families where dust allergies cause significant problems, an air purifier is a great asset. These clean the air in a specific room, or they can be installed in the HVAC system directly for whole-house purification. Air cleaners trap dust particles and other allergens to help your family breathe freely.

Clean up Clutter

Clutter, including piles of toys or clothes on the floor, is a breeding ground for dust. Cleaning them up will help keep dust from settling in or on them, so you will have less dust circulating through your home.

Dust Smart

Don't rely on a feather duster to eliminate dust. Instead, use a microfiber cloth, which will trap dust better than a feather duster. Also, consider dampening the cloth slightly before dusting most surfaces.

Are you looking for more ideas for controlling dust in your Broken Arrow home? Contact the Air Assurance team for expert tips to help you keep your home's air less dusty.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about controlling dust and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “hans_pixabay”

HVAC Home Comfort Solutions to Be Grateful For

In Broken Arrow's climate, your home HVAC system is something to be grateful for. Keeping you warm in winter and cool in summer, it does a lot of work to keep the Oklahoma environment livable.But if you want a bit of extra gratitude for your home comfort solutions this year, consider some of these perks to make a good thing even better:

• A programmable thermostat. You can save money on your heating and cooling by setting back your thermostat when you're out of the house for a while — but that means having to remember to reset it when you get home, and waiting for the temperature to adjust when you do. A programmable thermostat lets you tell the house to do all that for you, saving you money without you needing to remember a thing.

• A smart thermostat. Like a programmable thermostat, a smart thermostat can manage your heating and cooling schedule. It may also provide a number of other benefits, such as learning from the adjustments you make and offering you a way to check in or change the schedule from your phone or mobile device.

• Air purifiers and cleaners. Americans spend a lot of time indoors — away from the natural breezes that continually renew the outdoor air. Indoor air is typically more polluted than outdoor air, but an air cleaner or purifier can address this issue and leave your indoor environment healthier.

• Whole-house humidifiers or dehumidifiers. Whether it's too dry or too humid, humidity problems can tank your home comfort. In some cases, they can also make your home environment less healthy, contributing to excessive dust production or the growth of bacteria and mold. A humidifier/dehumidifier combination can keep your home humidity balanced.

• Home zoning system. Not all parts of your home are in use at the same time — so why heat them and cool them as a single unit? A home zoning system lets you direct conditioned air where you need it, when those rooms are occupied.

To learn more about home comfort solutions available to you, call Air Assurance today!

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about home comfort solutions and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “petelinforth/Pixabay”

Air Cleaner or Air Purifier: What Should You Choose?

Homes today are more airtight than ever before, so the air your family breathes can be significantly more polluted than what's outdoors. You might be thinking about having an air cleaner or an air purifier installed, but you're unsure which option is better. To help you decide, here's some helpful information about both of these methods of improving air quality.

Air Cleaners 101

There are two basic types of air cleaners on the market today:

• Electronic air cleaners that ionize particles to draw them out of the air supply. Ozone is a byproduct of the ionizing process, and it's a known lung irritant that worsens respiratory problems.

• Mechanical air cleaners use a filter medium to trap undesirable particles and allergens floating in the indoor air supply.

Whole-home mechanical air cleaners are installed on the HVAC ductwork so your home's air supply travels through the filter before it's conditioned and distributed. There are a number of makes and models available that offer different degrees of filtration to get rid of particles like:

• Ash, soil and dust.

• Plant pollens.

• Dust mites.

• Pet dander.

• Mold and mildew spores.

• Tobacco smoke.

Air Purifier Basics

Air purifiers also improve air quality, but they work differently than filtered air cleaners. Instead of capturing particles in a replaceable filter, air purifiers rely on ultraviolet (UV) lamps to eradicate airborne pollutants and contaminants. As with air cleaners, there are whole-home purifiers available that are integrated into the ductwork so all of the return air entering the HVAC system gets zapped and purified before it's heated or cooled and distributed through the supply ducts. The unit's UV germicidal lamps remove odors and kill mold, mildew and biological contaminants like viruses and bacteria.

Do You Need An Air Cleaner or Air Purifier?

Before you decide, have your air quality assessed by a knowledgeable professional to learn whether you need an air cleaner, purifier or a system that combines a filter and UV light.If you need expert advice about whether an air cleaner or air purifier is the best choice for your Broken Arrow home, contact us at Air Assurance.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Maklay62/Pixabay”

How is Dust Buildup Dangerous for Your Health?

Every home has a little dust floating around, but when dust starts to build up it can negatively affect your health. Most people feel the effects of dust to some extent and may experience symptoms like sneezing, coughing and fatigue. This is because dust contains a variety of pollutants, including soil, sawdust, carpet fibers, pollen, skin cells, pet fur, chemical emissions, mold particles and bacteria.

The dangers of dust buildup include:

• Attracting dust mites. Dust mites have been associated with the occurrence of nasal polyps, which are tiny, uncomfortable, swollen lumps in the nasal cavity that can affect your immune system over time.

• Prolonging and circulating illness. If someone in your house is sick, bacteria can linger in the air and be recirculated through your home, passing the illness on to others.

• Uncomfortable symptoms that may turn serious. Headaches and other effects of dust are uncomfortable to the average person. Dust buildup is more dangerous for vulnerable people, including the elderly and individuals with lung ailments, such as asthma, emphysema or weakened immune systems. Eczema symptoms, for example, are aggravated by dust and may progress into chronic dermatitis (skin inflammation). Children are more affected by dust partly because they play on the floor and touch dusty items more often.

Fortunately, you can minimize dust buildup in your house by:

• Eliminating or reducing the amount of fabric furniture, drapes and carpets in your home. These items attract dust and shed particles, creating more dust.

• Keeping your home clutter-free.

• Eating in the kitchen or dining room and keeping food debris contained.

• Cleaning and dusting surfaces and vacuuming floors, carpets and cushioned furniture regularly.

• Replacing HVAC air filters monthly.

• Using an indoor air purifier or installing a whole house air purification and humidity control system.

Are you concerned about the amount of dust accumulating in your home? You can count on Air Assurance to help keep your Broken Arrow home healthy and comfortable.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Alfonso-de-Tomas/Shutterstock”