The Best Dusting Techniques and Products to Improve Your IAQ

The Best Dusting Techniques and Products to Improve Your IAQ

Dust is one of the most annoying problems we face inside our homes. No matter how thoroughly you clean your house, dust tends to reappear with surreal frequency. Fortunately, you can keep your home dust-free for longer by using some brilliant dusting techniques. 

Change Air Filters Regularly

Dirty air filters are a huge source of indoor dust. They collect dust particles and prevent them from being blown back into your home's air. However, failing to replace the filters frequently allows the particles to cycle through and circulate throughout your home. You can significantly reduce the buildup of dust by changing your filters every month during the high-use summer and winter seasons.

Use Microfiber

You can dust your home like a pro by using microfiber towels. Unlike other commonly used tools like feather dusters that spread dust from surface to surface, microfiber dusters successfully capture dust. Use soft fluffy microfiber cloths to clean delicate surfaces that easily scratch and flatweave cloths to clean hard surfaces like glass.

Dust from Top to Bottom

This is one of the best dusting techniques that most people usually overlook. When dusting the highest items, some dust falls onto anything that's below. Therefore, you want to start dusting from the highest to the lowest points of the room. That way, everything will be clean once you're done with dusting.

Install an Air Purifier

If you're serious about minimizing dust in your home, then an air purifier is a must-have. It uses advanced technology to capture more dust and pollutants from your household air than air filters. The less the dust in your air, the less it will collect on your items, giving you the huge benefit of dusting less often.These dusting techniques reduce indoor dust. As a result, they make your house much easier to clean and the air you breathe healthier. If you have any questions related to air quality, contact us at Air Assurance. We offer air purifiers, air cleaners, and several other indoor air quality solutions that help homeowners in the Broken Arrow area breathe easier indoors.

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.

Reduce the Effects of Spring Allergies in Your Home

Reduce the Effects of Spring Allergies in Your Home

Did you know that you can fight spring allergies using your HVAC system? It’s actually the best tool you already have to minimize the effects of all that pollen that bombards you during the pollen-producing months. Gauging pollen counts using flowers is misleading because most allergies are caused by tiny flowers found on grasses, shrubs and trees and not showy or heavily perfumed flowers.

Central air conditioners move a good deal of air. As a consequence, much of the pollen and other allergens pass through the air handler and ductwork every time the system runs. Keeping these components clean and dust-free is essential for reducing the discomfort airborne allergies cause.

Spring HVAC Maintenance

An HVAC pro from Air Assurance will go through your system thoroughly, removing all the dust from the components. Besides breathing easier, you’ll also benefit from a system that runs with greater efficiency. When parts are clean and adjusted, they use less energy and aren’t as vulnerable to premature breakdowns.

Duct Inspection

When you schedule your A/C tune-up, ask about ductwork inspection to locate any leaks and to learn the overall condition of the ducts. The technician will use special equipment to measure the leakage and will look for signs of dust and debris inside the ducts. Leaks can happen any time and even ducts in newer homes can be debris-filled.

Ductwork leaks can worsen spring allergies because they pick up dust and pollen from the area where there is leakage. Sometimes ducts are places where insects and rodents live. They can either enter through the register covers or through tiny cracks in the ductwork. Their waste products can trigger allergic responses and the insects and animals themselves can spread diseases.

Air Filters

The filter is essential to air conditioners and keeping it clean goes a long way toward lowering the pollen indoors. Use the highest-rated filter recommended for your system and change it when it’s covered with dust.

Tending to your HVAC system will reduce the discomfort of spring allergies. 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.

Preparing Your Thermostat for Cooling Season

With cooling season on the horizon, it's time to prepare your home and thermostat so they're optimized for comfort and energy efficiency. Here's how you can get ready for the coming change in weather and temperature.

Invest in New Thermostat Technology

If you rely on a basic digital control to regulate your home's HVAC system, you'll appreciate the convenience that a programmable thermostat provides. The Department of Energy (DOE) also advises that going programmable can save you up to 10 percent on your yearly HVAC energy consumption. When choosing a new thermostat, look for one that works with your type of HVAC equipment and also meshes with your usual weekly routine.

Prime Your HVAC for Summer Energy Savings

To reap the greatest savings, the DOE recommends programming your thermostat with different temperature adjustments for specific periods each day: lower when you're home and active, and higher when everyone is sleeping or away. These daily temperature adjustments can add up to sizable savings over time, because a one-degree change for eight hours brings a one-percent drop in annual energy consumption. You should also:

• Set the temperature at 78°F when you're at home and active.

• Increase it to 85°F at night and when the house isn't occupied.

• Don't be afraid to experiment to see if you can save more energy with a higher temperature. Do so incrementally, one or two degrees at a time, to avoid causing discomfort or overtaxing your cooling equipment.

• Never use the override function to make a big temperature adjustment in order to cool down the house faster. The cooling process won't speed up, but you can accidentally cool your home too much and end up wasting energy.

• Run your ceiling fans in tandem with your air conditioner to boost the cooling effect, but only in occupied rooms. With the blades moving counter-clockwise, the fan's air movement cools the skin, which lets you raise the temperature setting by up to four degrees.

For expert help getting your Broken Arrow home ready for the cooling season, contact us at Air Assurance.

Understanding Airflow in Your Home

Understanding Airflow in Your Home

Most of us don’t give airflow much thought, but it’s a physical phenomenon surrounding us every moment. Inside our homes, the movement of air, or lack thereof, drives its air quality and the costs for keeping it comfortable. Even though it’s largely intangible, air has some of the same physical qualities as water. Air moves just as easily as water does, but instead of being affected by gravity, it’s affected by pressure that’s always trying to equalize itself. Where positive pressure exists, it moves into a negative space and vice versa. 

Why It Matters

A home’s energy efficiency depends on a few important factors. Insulation in the attic and walls makes a big difference, as does its degree of air infiltration. A leaky home will be hard to heat and cool because air is either moving in or out. You’ve probably experienced how a drafty room feels on a cold day. The draft probably came from a window, exterior door, or around the floor. Another way to encourage the movement of air from positive to negative is to close off a room in a home that has a forced-air HVAC system. Closing off the duct without stopping the return airflow will create a negative pressure gradient that will pull unconditioned outdoor air inside. 

Air Infiltration and Quality

While homes with low air infiltration rates cost less to condition, they may have air quality issues. The U.S. EPA reports that the air quality in many homes is among the worst that people encounter. Pollutants include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from products made from hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and radon, dust, pollen and dander. All homes need some fresh air ventilation. The most energy efficient way to introduce fresh air without driving up energy costs is with a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) that uses technology to capture the energy in the outgoing air and put it into the incoming air. If your home isn’t as comfortable as you’d like or your air quality is low, you may have airflow issues.

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,download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 918-217-8273.

When Renting HVAC Equipment Makes Sense

When Renting HVAC Equipment Makes Sense

These days you can rent just about anything, including HVAC equipment. While renting HVAC equipment has been more common in industry than in residential settings, in recent years, the practice has grown.Here are some of the advantages of renting as opposed to purchasing HVAC equipment outright.

Renting Your Next HVAC System

Purchase of HVAC equipment is a major outlay. You will be deciding whether to plop down the cost of the system outright, or finance it. Financing will ease the pain of purchasing the system, but comes with interest payments. And it's not only the cost of the equipment you have to factor in. Choosing the right system can be daunting, as is the homeowner's responsibility to get it all right, from choosing the unit with the correct cooling and heating capacity, to making sure the warranty will provide you with comprehensive coverage. Plus, when you buy an HVAC system, you will be responsible for repairs and maintenance. You will not be able to choose just any HVAC contractor, but will be obligated to hire a company that will not invalidate the warranty.

When Renting HVAC Equipment Makes Sense

It can make sense to consider renting air conditioning and/or heating equipment, particularly if you plan to occupy the home for just a short time or if your budget simply won't stretch to cover another major purchase. After all, it's not just the cost of the equipment you're faced with, but also the installation costs, and down the line, maintenance and repairs. Generally when you rent a unit, the costs of installation, maintenance and repairs, replacement filters and the option to renew with perks are all included in the rental agreement. As a renter of HVAC equipment, you should have a clear understanding of what your rental fee includes. Also, what if you must get out of your contract early (perhaps you will have to move for a job)? Is there an early termination penalty? 

Talk to your HVAC consultant about the pros and cons of renting HVAC equipment. Call Air Assurance. We serve Broken Arrow and the surrounding area. 

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.

The History of Home Ventilation

The History of Home Ventilation

People have known about the need for ventilation in their dwellings since open fires were first used to warm human abodes millennia ago. Today, we have home ventilation guidelines incorporated into our Broken Arrow building codes, but this wasn't always the norm. The understanding of how much fresh air was needed to replace stale, polluted indoor air evolved over centuries of experimentation, trial and error.Here's a look at key advancements in the evolution of ventilation from natural to mechanical means:

17th Century

In 1631, England's King Charles I determined that due to home heating, bad indoor air was causing health problems. He decreed that dwellings in England must have ceilings at least 10 feet high, and windows taller than their width to provide ample natural ventilation.

Early 19th Century

In 1835 when the British Houses of Parliament were rebuilt, a ventilation system was added. Outdoor air entered into a heating chamber, then went across steam pipes before being distributed through the building's ductwork.

Late 19th Century

After completing various studies and analysis, American physician J. Billings recommended in 1893 that a minimum of 30 cfm of ventilation per occupant was needed in buildings, but 60 cfm was ideal. That minimum rate was adopted by ASHVE (American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers) in 1895. This amount of airflow could only be achieved using mechanical ventilation made possible by advancements in the electric power industry.

20th Century

Massachusetts made 30 cfm per occupant of ventilation the law in 1914. By 1925, this minimum was adopted in 22 states. In 1925, ASHRE published the first code of minimum requirements for home heating and ventilation.

21st Century

Nowadays, there are various mechanical ventilation methods used in homes and other buildings, such as:

• Exhaust fans that expel humid kitchen and bathroom air.

• Whole-house fans that draw stale air up and send it out through attic vents.

• Supply systems that introduce outdoor air into the HVAC's return ducting.

• Balanced whole-house systems with dedicated intake and exhaust ducting.

To learn about your home ventilation options for better indoor air quality, 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 other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.