The best way to protect the air you breathe is to control the sources of air contaminants — in other words, sealing up areas that contain asbestos, minimizing the use of smelly glues and paints and choosing nontoxic household cleaners. However, for some pollutants source control is not always an option. Fortunately, there are ways to improve your indoor air quality even if source control is not possible.

When source control isn’t an option, try:

• Ventilation and air circulation. Keeping the air flowing through your home will help push pollutants out of the house. In addition, proper ventilation and circulation help keep your home smelling fresh and clean throughout the day. You can start by simply opening windows and turning on fans. However, this only works when weather permits it — and those days will grow rare as summer settles in. A more reliable option is to install a ventilation system in your home. There are several types of ventilation systems available, including whole-house systems and single-room units. Single-room vents are typically installed in bathrooms and kitchens, while whole-house ventilation systems are installed as part of your cooling and heating system to ventilate your entire home.
• Air purifiers. Air purifiers typically trap various air contaminants such as dust, dander and spores, improving your indoor air quality. However, air purifiers will not lower levels of radon and carbon monoxide. Air purifiers are available in both stand-alone units and whole-house purifiers. Stand-alone units typically have a lower up-front cost than whole-house systems, but only work in one room at a time. A whole-house purifier treats the entire home with a single unit added to your heating and cooling system.

If you would like more tips on how you can improve your indoor air quality, contact the home-comfort experts at Conditioned Air. We have been providing reliable, professional cooling and heating services throughout Southwest Florida since 1962.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Indoor air quality image via Shutterstock

It may seem counterintuitive to use a fan while your air conditioner is running, but ceiling fans and other circulating fans can actually increase your home comfort and help you save energy.  Moving air creates a wind chill effect, which makes the air feel cooler than it actually is.  This cooling effect will allow you to raise the thermostat up to 4 degrees, saving you money and conserving energy.

When it’s not quite hot enough outside to justify turning on the air conditioning, ceiling fans can give just enough cooling on a balmy Southwest Florida day. Portable tabletop and window fans provide the same effect and can be moved from room to room or stowed when not in use.

When purchasing a fan, consider these tips:

• Ceilings should be at least eight feet high to mount a fan.
• Fan blades should be at least eight inches from the ceiling and 18 inches away from walls.
• Larger fans move more air than smaller fans.
• Larger fan blades, too move more air.
• Look for the ENERGY STAR label on window fans; they operate up to 20 percent more efficiently.
• If possible, listen to the fan in operation before purchasing because some fans are louder than others.

Most ceiling fans have a switch that allows you to change the direction of the blades.  In winter, you can create gentle airflow and an updraft that will push rising warmer air closer to the floor.  It is important to remember that ceiling fans don’t actually change the temperature in a room; they just change the way it feels to you, so turn fans off when you leave a room to save energy.

If you’re not sure which ceiling fans are right for your home, call us for a consultation or more information.  We can help you determine the sizes and types of fans would be most suitable for the rooms in your home and recommend quality, energy efficient products that will require little maintenance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about circulating or ceiling fansand other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Conditioned Air services Southwest Florida including cities Marco Island, Ft. Myers or anywhere in between.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.