Indoor Air Quality
The quality of air inside your home or office space is important, and it’s not only for your comfort. IAQ is also important for your health and well-being. Poor air quality has been linked to various symptoms like fatigue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, eye, nose, throat, and lung irritation. Specific illnesses like asthma and lung disease have been tied to specific air-borne contaminants or indoor climates.
Inadequate air quality has been proven to influence the development in adolescents and has been tied to Lung Disease development later on in life. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), common indoor contaminants are pollen, dirt, pet dander, dust, mildew, mold, environmental tobacco smoke, and pest droppings.
Testing & Correcting
The quality of your indoor air is critical. Research studies indicate that the air circulating inside homes and buildings is often more polluted than outdoor air, even in larger, more modern, industry-driven towns and cities. Additional research from the National Lung Association shows that people spend about 90% of their time indoors.
Making sure the air you breathe is clean and healthy is a priority. If you have questions about the quality of air in your space, give one of our Home Comfort Consultants a call. They will administer a complete air quality test to measure the density, number, and size of particles moving throughout your home or office. Following the test, our experts will provide you with the best solutions to improve the quality of the air you breathe.
Whole-Home Air Infiltration Testing
Air enters your home or office around the doors, windows, skylights, walls, floors, roof, and even the electrical outlets. This is called air infiltration and it’s the result of the difference in air pressure inside and outside of the occupied space.
Every space has some amount of air infiltration. It happens when cool, conditioned air leaks out, allowing outside air to come inside. This heavily reduces the efficiency of your air conditioning system which increases energy costs.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), air leakage accounts for approximately 6% of the total energy used by commercial buildings in the country. In addition, the DOE has stated that 30% to 40% of the cost of cooling and heating a home is lost due to uncontrolled air leaking out.
Your home or office space is a combination of systems. Having a properly installed and sealed air conditioning systems allows for optimal protection. Drafts and leaks come from various kinds of sources. Air barriers obstruct air movement through homes and buildings, which can save consumers up to 30% on heating and air conditioning costs.
Air sealing does not replace the necessity of needing insulation throughout your home or office. Insulation is still needed to lower the heat levels. Air sealing your space tremendously complements the insulation. Weatherizing your home or office remedies problems with leaking controlled air.
Art Air Conditioning Home Comfort Specialists start their whole-home infiltration test by checking your space thoroughly for any distinct energy inefficiencies. They also measure the performance of the duct system.
During the performance test of the duct system, Art technicians utilize blower door testing to find any leaks. A blower door test depressurizes the air in the living space, especially when using an infrared camera. The infrared camera intensifies the natural air infiltration happening within the space by making leaks easier to spot. Outside air pushing its way into the home or office shows up as a different color on infrared cameras, that’s why they are highly effective in spotting and fixing air leaks.
Our experts will give you the best advice on air sealing and insulation solutions, whatever your whole-home air infiltration needs are.
Mold Remediation
Mold growth is common in Florida because of the hot and humid climate. It’s unattractive, difficult to remove, and poses serious health concerns when it’s found in the air ducts and vents. If you’ve found mold in your home or office, Art can help by providing an independent, third-party testing company to establish the correct method of action, as well as an immediate resolution for the mold remediation.
Mold infestations can occur from something as minute as a plumbing leak and can spread rampantly in just 48 hours. It can bring with it, irritants, toxins, and allergens that are dangerous to your health.
Odor Locating & Smoke Testing
Odors in a home or office are uninviting and can be difficult to find, let alone eliminate. There are several factors that could be contributing to and causing odors in your space. Our Home Comfort Specialists use a specialized smoke testing approach to identify water or gas leaks. Art technicians are trained to arm you with the best possible solution to eliminate the problem.
Art Air Conditioning uses a smoke test to identify odorous sources within the sewer system. Smoke testing is used when the source of the leak is not obvious or can’t be located electronically.
The possibilities are endless with smoke testing. Smoke testing can show you where gases and water exit the system and where outside water enters the line, creating an additional, and unnecessary, workload on the system. Smoke testing shows you what video camera inspections can’t and can identify what a locator can’t.
Another advantage of smoke testing is that it requires no plumbing work to operate. This allows the entire system to be tested under normal conditions. Traps are all left in place so the water seal can be adequately tested. Smoke tests can also be used to examine HVAC systems, hot water tanks, and various other places where traditional water testing isn’t applicable.
Indoor Air Purifiers, Cleaners, & Filters
It’s vital to seal your home or office to prevent conditioned air from getting out. However, that leaves many contaminants trapped inside your space.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released data showing that indoor air is approximately five times more contaminated than air outdoors. These contaminants could be a number of things, including airborne bacteria, viruses, mold, allergens, chemical vapors, smoke, toxins, gases, and various odors. A whole-home air purifier offers home and businessowners an inexpensive and efficient solution. Home Comfort Specialists at Art Air Conditioning offer a wide variety of air purifiers and cleaners and can help you choose the best option for your space.
High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters are the most popular choice in air filters. They remove 99.97% of all foreign particles that measure 0.3 microns or larger. Having HEPA filters installed into the ductwork of your home or office will drastically reduce the number of allergens and airborne impurities found inside.
Air purifiers use ionized technology to purify the incoming air and extracts charged, clean air particles. Air purifying systems are more successful at removing smaller contaminants, pet odors, and smoke.
Do you have more indoor air quality concerns? Contact one of our Home Comfort Specialists today to talk about our large selection of air purifiers, filters, and cleaners and find out which option is best for you and your budget.
Ultraviolet (UV) Light Systems
There are some light frequencies that have a crushing impact on microbial life. The exposure to UV light within the 254 nm (UV-C band) range disturbs the DNA of micro-organisms, which prevents them from reproducing.
UV light disinfection is commonly utilized in clinics, hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, veterinary centers, and laboratories to sanitize surgical and medical instruments and to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in and on workspaces. UV technology is used in the food industry during the sterilization and packaging process, as well as at water treatment plants to ensure a chemical-free purification process.
IQAir® Whole-Home Filtration
Art Air Conditioning is proud to offer IQAir® Whole-Home Air Filtration systems to home and business owners across South Florida. IQAir® units are easily installed and are even easier to use when installed inside your current HVAC system. These whole-home air filtration systems are effortless to maintain and last much longer than the small portable air purifiers. Together with the HVAC system, the IQAir® Whole-Home Purifier cleans your home or office space approximately 125 times each day.
IQAir®’s HyperHEPA filtration technology is tested and certified to filter ultrafine particles as low as 0.003 microns, which are some of the smallest particles in existence. This has been verified by various independent studies done by government agencies and laboratories.
IQAir® air filters feature a state-of-the-art “Double V” design that boosts filter surface to over 170 square feet. The design allows the system to transfer 50 times more filtration power than other popular filtration systems. They are so confident about their product, that IQAir® guarantees your homes HVAC ducts will remain clean of any significant contaminates for as long as your system is operational.
To learn more about IQAir® Whole-Home Filtration systems, contact one of our Home Comfort Specialists today.
