Your homes heating, cooling & ventilating (HVAC) system works hard all year long to keep your comfortable. As long as it’s operating properly, you probably never give it a second thought – but you should! The harder your system works, the more frequently you should be changing your air filter.
According to the EPA, the indoor air we are exposed to is 70% more polluted than the outdoor air and studies show that the average American spends nearly 90% of their time indoors. This puts us all at a greater risk of contracting various diseases from indoor air pollutants. The EPA actually ranks poor indoor air quality among the top five public health risks.
You can be healthier, more environmentally conscious and save money. Did you know that by doing something as easy and simple as changing the air filter on your HVAC (heating, cooling and ventilation) system on a regular basis can provide all of these benefits?
An air filter’s job is to keep the air in your home and the interior of your HVAC system clean and healthy. Filters are designed to accumulate dusts, molds, pollens and other contaminants, which can worsen allergies and can cause diseases. Imagine the dangers of having dirty air circulate in your home: eye irritations, frequent asthma attacks and other respiratory issues. By changing out your filter on a regular basis you insure that you are not re-circulating these particles back through your system and into your home. With flu season nearly upon us, you don’t want to take any chances with your family’s health!
Changing your filters on a regular basis also has a positive impact on the environment. When filters aren’t clean, it makes your system work harder to give you cooler air. This means more energy is used and wasted energy means more pollution. The more electricity you consume, the more carbon dioxide and other green house gases you release in the air. This is one of the main causes of global warming and the green house effect.
A clean filter helps the efficiency of your system. If filters are not regularly cleaned or replaced, your system’s air flow is constricted, when this happens the efficiency of the system is significantly reduced. When your system is not working as efficiently as it should, it is using more energy and that means you will be paying more to heat or cool your home.
A dirty filter also causes your system to work harder and longer to provide the same comfort. According to Energy Star, a division of the EPA, “Dirt and neglect are the #1 causes of heating and cooling system failure.” A clean filter will prevent dust and dirt from building up in your system that could otherwise lead to expensive maintenance and/or early system failure.
It doesn’t exactly take a long time or a lot of effort to clean or replace your HVAC system’s filters. What’s 10-15 minutes of your time when you, your family, the environment and your wallet can benefit from it for a long time?
Lindstrom Air Conditioning & Plumbing serves Fort Lauderdale and South Florida with expert air conditioning repair, service and installation.
Sources:
www.energystar.gov
www.epa.gov