If you own a newer residence in Columbia, it was in all likelihood built with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with better seals. While these advances are fantastic for keeping your energy costs affordable, they’re not so great for your indoor air quality.

Your heating and cooling system needs to work with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving ample filtration. This model only delivers the lowest level of protection by stopping dust from getting into your home comfort system.

While you can install a pleated filter or one with a increased MERV rating, it still might not be adequate filtration, particularly if someone in your residence has allergies or other respiratory problems.

That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide strong filtration throughout your residence. Depending on the model you go with, you’ll be able to get rid of allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.

Here are our favorite systems from Lennox, an industry leader in air purification.

Best Air Purifiers from Lennox

1. HEPA Air Purifiers

A HEPA air purifier, like the Healthy Climate® High-Efficiency Particulate Air Filtration System, gives the best filtration. These filters were first developed to guard scientists as they made the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical settings.

The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration process. A prefilter draws larger pollutants before the HEPA filter traps remaining tiny irritants. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.

The PureAir™ S Air Purification System is compatible with all HVAC brands and smoothly links to your smart home. It reduces the three major types of indoor air pollutants:

• Airborne particles
• Chemical odors and vapors
• Germs and bacteria, under certain airflow conditions

This air purifier can eliminate 99.9%* of pollutants, including mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also potent at reducing or eliminating 90%¹ of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, based on laboratory and field studies, it reduces and eliminates approximately 50% of residential odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.

The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it uncomplicated to keep up. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to replace the filter and UVA light.² This home air purifier must be linked with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.

2. Media Air Cleaners

Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners come in in a variety of MERV ratings to work with your needs. This rating determines how good filters are at removing contaminants. The greater the number, the greater the filtration.

The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is great for residences with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, as it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it gets rid of more than 95%³ of aggravating particles from your residence’s air.

The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is great for families who desire better protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter traps 99% of larger particles including dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of smaller particles down to 0.3 microns.⁴

The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a great air purifier for allergies and in homes with pets. It removes more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of smaller ones down to 0.3 microns.⁴ It’s able to deliver this powerful filtration without running up the price of using your home comfort system.

These three media air cleaners can be used with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s critical to know that some of the more substantial ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can hike up your energy costs.

3. UV Air Purifiers

The sun’s UV rays are the fault of why you get a stinging sunburn. But this type of light has a helpful application when installed within your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to decrease germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.

In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can lower the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as short as 45 minutes.⁵ This light destroys cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from flourishing and infiltrating across your house.

And this UV air purifier can also help keep your home comfort system clean and operating properly. It wipes out of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier achieves all these tasks without developing lung-irritating ozone.⁶

Breathe Better with the Support of Our Air Purification Specialists

Your household’s comfort and health is our top priority at Watts Electric & AC. We know there are a lot of possibilities out there. That’s why we make it easy to work with our indoor air quality specialists. We specialize in recommending solutions that fit your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your residence and your air quality issues. Reach us at 601-736-7362 today to begin.

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¹Based on laboratory and field studies.

²PureAir™ S requires the iComfort^® S30 and a communicating indoor unit.

³Leading consumer magazine, January 2012. Based on the published CADR, which is the standardized measurement system to determine the cubic feet of clean air produced per minute. Particles captured range in size down to 0.3 micron. One micron = 1/25,000 of an inch in diameter.

⁴Based on lab tests conducted on filters with conditions included in ASHRAE standard 52.2 for E1 and E3 size ranges.

⁵Based on constant circulation of air in the home, 3,000-square-foot home with a 5-ton air handler.

⁶U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners: An Assessment of Effective and Health Consequences,” August 2006.