If you have a newer residence in Wausau, it was probably built with energy efficiency in mind. This means greater amounts of insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these improvements are good for keeping your heating and cooling costs in check, they’re not so fantastic for your indoor air quality.

Your heating and cooling system needs to run with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing enough filtration. This style only gives the smallest amount of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.

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

That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are installed within ductwork to provide mighty filtration around your house. Depending on the model you choose, you’ll be able to remove allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.

Here are our best styles 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, provides the best filtration. These filters were first created to protect scientists as they made the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical operations.

The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System features a three-step filtration process. A prefilter attracts significant irritants before the HEPA filter catches remaining smaller pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.

The PureAir™ S Air Purification System works with all HVAC brands and easily works with your smart home. It reduces the three key kinds of indoor air pollutants:

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

This air purifier can get rid of 99.9%* of pollutants, such as mold spores, pollen, dust and pet dander. It’s also effective at reducing or destroying 90%¹ of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, as the result of laboratory and field studies, it reduces and eliminates approximately 50% of household odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.

The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it simple to maintain. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to install a new filter and UVA light.² This home air purifier must be installed with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.

2. Media Air Cleaners

Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are available in a variety of MERV ratings to match your needs. This rating calculates how capable filters are at removing contaminants. The higher the number, the finer the filtration.

The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, as it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-strength filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%³ of irritating particles from your house’s air.

The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for families who are looking for enhanced protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter captures 99% of larger particles like 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 an excellent air purifier for allergies and in houses with pets. It eliminates 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 provide this strong filtration without increasing the cost of using your HVAC system.

These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s important to be aware that some of the thicker ones, like MERV 16 and 13, may restrict your system’s airflow. This can inflate your utility bills.

3. UV Air Purifiers

The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a painful sunburn. But this kind of light has a beneficial application when installed in your ductwork. It’s also tough enough to reduce germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.

In actuality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can decrease the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.⁵ This light destroys cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from flourishing and moving throughout your home.

And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and working like it should. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi hiding inside ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier achieves all these things without producing lung-inflaming ozone.⁶

Breathe Better with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Specialists

Your loved ones’ comfort and health is our top priority at Gilray Heating and Cooling. We are aware there are a lot of solutions out there. That’s why we make it simple to work with our indoor air quality professionals. We specialize in making solutions tailored to your needs and budget, and we’d love to learn more about your house and your air quality problems. Give us a call at 715-301-0727 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.