How to Easily Improve Indoor Air Quality and Extend Your AC’s Life

Everyone thinks about air quality these days. But, most people don’t realize that you can improve your home and office indoor air quality and increase the life of your air conditioning (AC) system by simply changing your air filters.

Changing your AC’s air filters more frequently helps rid your house of allergens, dirt, dust particles, pet dander, etc. Plus, the United States Department of Energy also reports that it can improve the efficiency of your AC equipment by 5%-15%, which could result in hundreds of saved dollars every year.

I recommend that my customers change their air filters once a month. But which one should you use?

There are three basic levels of filters available at most hardware stores:

First, there are filters which have a high MERV rating. MERV is Minimum Efficiency Rating Value, which is the filter’s effectiveness capturing and holding particles. High MERV filters initially do a great job, but they restrict air flow after a few weeks of operation, and that’s not good for your AC system. Plus, they’re expensive so people tend to change them less often to offset the cost, which further exacerbates the airflow problem.

Second, there are moderate or medium MERV filters. These are just standard, pleated filters. I use these in my home, but I spray them with furniture polish to add more stickiness, which attracts and retains dust and dirt particulates. Because these filters are inexpensive, I recommend changing them every 30 days for maximum air filtration.

The last option is a cheap fiberglass, see-through filter that only captures pet hair and the largest of dust particles. We don’t recommend these. I hope this clarifies how a little DIY can improve your air quality and potentially save big bucks! When combined with Spring and Fall maintenance checks, your AC system will have a great chance for a long, long life.

Any questions, call us at 480-718-7209.