What is it?
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a detailed measurement of the temperature, cleanliness, humidity, and odor of the air circulating throughout your home. A better, more efficient air conditioning system can help you improve the quality of the air you breathe in your home every day. The various components that make up an air conditioning system all have an effect on the IAQ in a building, office, or home.
Why does it matter?
Of course, you want to breathe clean air and feel comfortable in your home at all times. But that’s not the only reason to strive for a high IAQ; a low IAQ indicates that internal problems may be limiting your air conditioning system’s potential. In other words, you might be losing money if your IAQ is low. It could mean your air filter is clogged, which means your system is working harder, burning more energy than it needs to. Additionally, dirty filters are known to cause overheating and could permanently damage your heating or cooling system.
How can you improve it?
One tell-tale sign of an efficient air conditioning system is a high SEER rating — a high SEER rating is usually accompanied by high IAQ levels. One way to improve both your SEER rating and your IAQ is to run your air conditioning system at a low power setting for more extended time periods because this keeps the air in your home continually running through the air filter while maximizing efficiency with the low power setting. Additionally, avoid lone room units and ductless systems because they are separate from a central system, which means the air quality will differ from the rest of the home and require maintenance on a different schedule. This will throw everything out of sync and make it harder to maximize efficiency.
Who can help?
We can! At Gagne Heating & Air Conditioning, we are obsessed with IAQ and high SEER ratings. If you feel that your home’s IAQ is low, or that you could benefit from a new system with a higher SEER rating, contact us today to learn more about our heating and AC installation, repair, and maintenance services!