Want to improve your indoor air quality? Start by talking to your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) contractor.
Indoor air quality (IAQ)– it’s something that may have come up the last time you were getting an estimate to upgrade your HVAC system. Or, you likely heard the term used during your last heating or cooling tune-up. If you’re wondering why IAQ often is brought up by your heating and cooling professional, it’s because your HVAC contractor is in the business of not only selling, installing, and fixing furnaces and air conditioners, they are in the business of home comfort. That’s why many quality HVAC contractors have stepped outside the box of simply selling furnaces and air conditioners to becoming trained Home Comfort Advisors and Indoor Air Quality Specialist.
We’ve talked about IAQ in a previous blog post which discussed how today’s HVAC service technicians and home comfort advisors are trained to mitigate health hazards related to the indoor air quality that exists in the home. If you think about it –it makes sense for the HVAC industry consultants to be those that specialize in indoor air quality solutions because the air we breathe inside our homes goes through our home’s heating and cooling system. When your HVAC contractor is trained and educated to mitigate indoor air quality issues they can provide whole-home solutions that work!
As an IAQ specialist, a trained HVAC contractor educates consumers in:
- Humidity control
- Air purity
- Carbon monoxide detection
- Temperature
Your HVAC contractor can help you understand the importance of keeping a properly maintained HVAC system. One of the biggest problems many homeowners have is with contaminated indoor air because the HVAC system is not regularly maintained. Over time, condensate and dust inside the unit lead to bacteria growth on the coil and the drain pan–which results in contaminated air blowing throughout your home.
If you have ever questioned:
- Why your home is too dry or clammy during certain times of the year?
- Why odors tend to aligner in your home?
- Why condensation forms on the inside of your windows?
- Why you get static hair an static shock while inside the home?
- Why mold grows in certain areas of your home?
These questions are related to the air that’s inside your home and the good news is there are whole-home solutions. So, the next time you meet with an HVAC professional, you will have a better understanding of why your home comfort advisor asks many questions about your family’s comfort and health, and if you have noticed cracks in your wood flooring or drywall. Asking questions is the only way to find out if your house is healthy and if we can help those with medical conditions such as asthma and allergies. Hopefully, this post give you a better understanding about the indoor air quality issues that you may have never known your HVAC contractor can help you with.
Also, here at the Environmental Protection Agency website are some great tips on taking action to improve the air quality in every room of your home.
Want to speak to an Indoor Air Quality Specialist about a concern you have with the quality of the air inside your home? Give M.E. Flow, servicing all of Northern Virginia, a call today or fill out the form on this page. Thank you for reading our blog post on “How to Improve Your IAQ.”