Most people want to lower their heating and cooling bills. To that end, many people seal up their homes tight, fixing leaks where their costly conditioned air could escape, and adding insulation to keep the warm air in during the winter and the hot air out during the summer. While this does make homes more energy efficient, it has an unfortunate side effect. It also seals in dust, mold spores, pet dander, bacteria, and viruses, and can lead to a significant increase in the pollutant levels inside your home.
If you and your loved ones are feeling ill or suffering from increased
allergies, you might want to track down and
eradicate the pollutants inside your home. Additionally, you should consider installing and using an electronic air cleaner.
Electronic air cleaners remove pollutants from the air, helping you and your family reduce your exposure to them. There are three types of electronic air cleaners: ionizers, ozone generators, and electrostatic precipitators. Ionizers produce charged particles called ions that cause pollutants to stick to surfaces near the ionizer, like the carpet and walls. Ozone generators produce ozone, which is harmful to microbes and masks the odors of other pollutants. Electrostatic precipitators pull air through plates charged with static electricity, which pull pollutants from the air.
Electronic air cleaners come in two sizes: whole-house models and portable models. A whole-house electronic air cleaner is your best best, as the portable sizes just don't have the power and capacity to really do the job. You can find whole house models for as little as $200, depending on the make and size you need.
For further professional advice on electronic air cleaners, and other home-comfort and air-quality issues, contact the experts at
Russell's Heating & Cooling. We've been serving the Hampton Roads area since 1977.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Chesapeake, Virginia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about electronic air cleaners and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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