If you have a newer home in Saint Louis, it was probably made with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means increased insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these enhancements are fantastic for keeping your utility costs in check, they’re not so excellent for your indoor air quality.

Your heating and cooling system needs to work with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be receiving ample filtration. This kind only provides the bare minimum of protection by blocking dust from infiltrating your home comfort system.

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

That’s where a whole-house air purifier comes in. These systems are placed within ductwork to provide effective filtration across your house. Depending on the type you select, 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, delivers premium filtration. These filters were first made to protect scientists as they developed the atomic bomb. Today, they’re a must-have in hospitals and other medical buildings.

The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System has a three-step filtration method. A prefilter catches larger particles before the HEPA filter catches the rest of smaller particles. Then, a charcoal filter wipes out odors and chemical vapors.

The PureAir™ S Air Purification System connects to all HVAC brands and seamlessly connects with your smart home. It reduces the three major kinds of indoor air irritants:

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

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

The PureAir S is equipped with sensing features that make it easy to maintain. When used with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll be notified when to replace the filter and UVA light.² This home air purifier must be linked with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.

2. Media Air Cleaners

Lennox Healthy Climate® Media Air Cleaners are made in a variety of MERV ratings to fit your needs. This rating determines how good filters are at capturing contaminants. The greater the number, the better the filtration.

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

The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is recommended for families who want enhanced protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 99% of larger particles such as dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of finer particles down to 0.3 microns.⁴

The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a a fantastic air purifier for allergies and in residences 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 offer this powerful filtration without driving up the cost of using your home comfort system.

These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. But despite that, it’s critical to realize that some of the thicker ones, such as MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can hike up your heating and cooling expenses.

3. UV Air Purifiers

The sun’s UV rays are the reason why you get a blistering sunburn. But this type of light has a useful application when placed within your ductwork. It’s also powerful enough to decrease germs, mold and fungi under certain airflow conditions.

In reality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can reduce the amount of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as quickly as 45 minutes.⁵ This light destroys cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from flourishing and spreading around your house.

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 that are hidden within ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these tasks without developing lung-inflaming ozone.⁶

Breathe Better with the Support of Our Air Purification Pros

Your family’s comfort and health is our top priority at Morgner Inc. Air Conditioning & Heating. We know there are lots of options out there. That’s why we make it easy to collaborate with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in creating solutions that fit your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality problems. Call us at 314-262-4541 now 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.