There are two reasons for shutting your house up tightly: it’s too darn cold, or it’s too darn hot. Since that tends to cover most of the year, we also tend to spend most of our time closed up indoors. Heating or cooling—it doesn’t matter. Our air is filtered, circulated, recirculated, humidified or dehumidified, and nothing at all like what is happening outside.
This sounds like a good thing: complete indoor climate control, filtered allergens and contaminants, and no exposure to outdoor pollutants. But it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Indoor air quality has actually gotten worse as homes have gotten “better”—as in, more air-tight and better insulated. When air is exchanged within the home (or business) almost entirely through an air handler (HVAC system), new problems are introduced, including:
- Non-optimal user settings of the HVAC system
- Indoor contaminants
- Incorrect filter selection
- Reduced exposure to healthy outdoor environments (including sunlight)
Dialing It In
Too much or too little humidity can be the source of many indoor air quality problems. Dryness can make you miserable and exacerbate allergies, while dampness can cause mold or mildew growth—leading to significant health risks. Set your thermostatat reasonable temperatures, monitor your humidity, and run the fan periodically each hour (to reduce excess humidity)… but notconstantly (which actually increaseshumidity).
Clearing the Air
HVAC systems filter outdoor air before introducing it into the home, and through the return ducts also filter recirculated indoor air. But if you think the only polluted air going through the system is what comes in from outside, you’re missing a host of possible indoor contaminants:
- Pet hair and dander
- Cigarette smoke
- Dust mites
- Building material off-gases (such as from paint, carpeting, furniture)
- Air fresheners
- Personal care products and fragrances
- Pesticides
- Cleaning products
- Cooking emissions (including unburnt natural gas)
Breathe In… and Out
Air conditioner filter choicecan be complicated. The number of filtering levels (not to mention sizes) almost rivals the number of HVAC systems. The best selection does depend not only on the HVAC specifications, but also the indoor environment and (somewhat) personal preference. But it’s important to allow your air system to do its job without being suffocated. Let it breathe, and let it enable your household to do the same.
Let the Sun Shine
It’s healthy to get outside, get some sun, and breathe in the natural air. It can benefit your indoor environment to let it do the same. In fact, your air conditioner will be able to better do its job too with an occasional open window and a splash of sunshine.
Air conditioning systems are invaluable for indoor comfort and air quality, but we need to give them the best environment to operate in. So go ahead and throw open up that window from time to time, optimize your settings and equipment, and enjoy a little more of the outdoors!
