Cold and flu season always coincides with winter, when you're running your HVAC system to keep your home toasty warm. Since the HVAC is operating anyway, why not use it to create a healthier winter living environment? By making some targeted system upgrades, you can tackle the contagions responsible for the flu, colds and other such illnesses. Here are four kinds of HVAC upgrades to consider:
1. Whole-Home Humidifier
It's been proven that the viruses and bacteria sent airborne with a sneeze or cough stay suspended longer when the air doesn't contain much moisture. This means that low humidity directly affects the spread of germs inside your home and increases your likelihood of coming down with common winter illnesses. Having a whole-home humidifier installed on the HVAC system can reduce your family's risk of exposure by adding much-needed moisture to the air.
2. Ultraviolet Light
Ultraviolet (UV) light is used to eradicate bacteria and viruses in many different settings, and it can help sanitize your home's air supply too. An HVAC technician can install a germicidal UV lamp on your heating system's air handler to zap contagions so they don't get recirculated every time the blower fan cycles on.
3. Energy Recovery Ventilator
Controlled ventilation is a great way to exchange stale, unhealthy indoor air with fresher air from outdoors. An energy recovery ventilator (ERV) can do this effectively, and because it also exchanges heat and moisture between the airflow streams, it conserves energy and helps maintain vital humidity as well.
4. Air Purifier
If your HVAC system has standard filtering capabilities, it can only trap larger particles to protect sensitive components from potential damage. Having your HVAC pro install an air purifier on the heating system can boost its air cleaning capabilities, so it tackles illness-inducing viruses and bacteria and improves your indoor air quality. The most effective of these devices can eliminate up to 99.7 percent of microscopic bio-contaminants down to 0.3 microns in size.
To learn more about HVAC system upgrades to combat cold and flu season in 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). For more information about TOPIC and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.