One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning

Is my home making me sick?

Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a term referring to the air quality within your home, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of your family. IAQ is one of the top health concerns of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and their findings have been supported by the American Lung Association, The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and other organizations concerned about our health and indoor air environment.*

Since the early 70's, homes have been built tighter to conserve energy by keeping cold air out in the winter and hot air out in the summer. While this does conserve energy, it also contributes to 'Tight Home Syndrome'. Tight Home Syndrome locks in dirty, sick and stale air and contributes to indoor air pollution. This indoor air pollution has been categorized by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) into three danger levels; Particles, Germs and Gases, and most often can contain microbial contaminants, such as mold and bacteria, gases (including carbon monoxide, radon, volatile organic compounds), dust, pollen and much more that can induce adverse health conditions. According to the EPA, your indoor air is typically 2 �€“ 5 times and can be up to 100 times more polluted than outside air. Much of this pollution comes from toxic off gassing from carpets, building material, paint, stain, cleaning chemicals, disinfectants, bug sprays and more. Although we continue to pollute outside air it is cleansed by Mother Nature with the weather, ionization and UV energy from the sun. These natural cleansing actions are not present indoors and our immune system cannot keep up with this over abundance of indoor air pollution. The American Lung Association estimates that most people spend 90% of their time indoors breathing ultra fine particles, germs and gases that pass through our lungs and enter the bloodstream. These are the main causes of asthma, allergies and other ailments so, paying special attention to cleaning your indoor air is very important.

One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning Indoor Air Quality experts can convert your heating and cooling system into a whole house Air Treatment Center. To control these pollutants that are injurious to your health, advanced air cleaning systems like MicroPower Guard® are designed to remove the smallest particles from the air; while the OxyQuantum® UV lights will help control germs and organic odors.* Most store bought filters cannot remove these smallest of allergens and have no capability of having any effect on germs and gases.

The EPA recommends that you have your air ducts, heating and cooling systems inspected first by a professional heating and cooling contractor. If your One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning technician discovers that your air ducts have substantial visible mold, dust, dirt, and other contaminants or a musty odor, they may recommend duct cleaning. This is especially important if someone in your household suffers from asthma, allergies, or other symptoms that may be related to indoor air pollution. Although duct cleaning alone has never been shown to actually prevent health problems, it is an important step in a whole-house air cleaning strategy. The One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning technician can perform ductwork installation to meet your system requirements.

Much of the dirt and dust that accumulates in the ducts adheres to the duct surfaces and to the furnace and air conditioning components. This does not mean that it necessarily becomes airborne and enters our breathing space. However, this accumulation is a perfect breeding ground for mold, bacteria, and other fungi that are definite sources of indoor air pollution. It also reduces the efficiency of your heating and cooling system.

At One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, we can share with you your whole house Air Treatment Center options to clean, disinfect and deodorize the air in your home 24 hours a day, naturally and without chemicals; then you can decide which best fits your concerns and needs.

*Source: www.epa.gov/iaq

*Source: "Indoor Air Pollution: An Introduction for Health Professionals." Co-Sponsored by: The American Lung Association® (ALA), The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and The American Medical Association® (AMA) U.S. Government Printing Office Publication No. 1994-523-217/81322, 1994

*Source: www.epa.gov/nhsrc/news/news100406a.html Biological Inactivation Efficiency of HVAC In-Duct Ultraviolet Light Devices

*Source: "Defining the Effectiveness of UV Lamps Installed in Circulating Air Ductwork." Published 2002. Design parameters of PremierOne® Products UV Systems.