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Indoor Air Quality

Thermostats

The thermostat of yesterday (pictured on the left) was reliable and trouble free.  Today's thermostats (like the one shown on the right) are reliable and trouble free and include many features for today's active families.

Digital setback thermostats can save on utility bills by automatically lowering the temperature at night and during the day when everyone is gone. They are designed to be set and forgotten. 

Some setback thermostats also keep track of total blower run time to accurately tell you when your filter needs to be replaced. This is helpful because your furnace and/or air conditioner only runs when it needs to, and some seasons are more demanding than others.

Upgrading to a modern digital setback thermostat can save you money on your energy bills. 

Filters

Your filter is the most important part of the heating/air conditioning system for keeping the air clean in your home. There are lots of filter options.

Better home construction increases the need for effective air cleaners.  Today's homes are more tightly constructed than ever. This means less fresh air infiltrates the home from outside.  However, it also means dust, grease, pollen, mold spores and other airborne particles that already exist in a home can't get out and are re-circulated over and over again.  To remove these particles, which may cause unnecessary physical discomfort as well as damage furnishings, more and more homeowners are turning to high efficiency air filtration systems.

New filters can provide up to 99.98% cleaner air for your home.  They use patented, breakthrough air cleaning technology to remove up to 99.98% of airborne allergens from the air that pass through the filter, without significantly reducing the air flow, making it 8 times more effective than even the best HEPA room air filter and 100 times more effective than a standard 1" filter. These new filters are so effective that they trap allergens down to .1 microns, the size at which allergens cause the most irritation because your nose, mouth and throat can’t filter them and they get trapped deep in your lungs. 

How these filters work to improve your indoor air.  They can remove up to 99.98% of airborne allergens from the air that pass through the filter. Current electronic air cleaners can remove some of the dust, pollen, mold spores and other microscopic irritants that make life miserable for people with allergies and respiratory problems. These same contaminants can also harbor harmful bacteria and viruses.  New filters clean more air at a higher efficiency so they have a clean air delivery rate twice as high as a standard electronic air cleaner.  The air in your home stays cleaner because air cleaners remove the dust particles that over time settle on walls, floors, drapes, upholstery and other furnishings. Air cleaners also remove dust particles that may cause damage to home entertainment equipment and computer hardware.  New filters operate as part of your total home comfort system. 

These new filters can be a whole-house air cleaning system, meaning they work in conjunction with your heating and cooling system to remove up to 99.98% of airborne allergens—down to .3 microns in size—from every room in your home. After a pre-filter traps the large particles, the incoming air passes through a series of electrically charged corona fields which charge the airborne particles that are then collected in a patented, cleanable collection filter. With layers that are only 0.08 inches apart, the filter has 8 times the collection surface of a standard electronic air cleaner.

Electronic air cleaners work on a few simple principles.

Electronic air cleaners are usually installed in the duct carrying air back to the furnace or air handler. A typical disposable furnace filter captures only 10% to 15% of the contaminants, while electronic air cleaners can remove many more of the undesirable airborne particles from the air it filters.

Operation of the unit is fairly simple. First, air passes through a mesh-type filter that catches large airborne particles. Smaller particles that get through the filter pass through an ionizing section where they receive an electrical charge.

These charged particles then pass through plates that have an opposite charge that attracts the particles like a magnet. The particles remain on the plates until the air cleaner elements are washed. The result is a healthier, cleaner indoor environment.

Whole-house air cleaners operate efficiently and make a major impact on your home’s comfort. 

Air filtration systems and electronic air cleaners use only about the same amount of electricity as a 40-watt light bulb. However, to do their job, the heating and cooling system must be running. 

New technology in the field of electronic fan motors and controls is drastically reducing the cost of running a fan continuously. Setting your thermostat to run the fan continuously helps filter your air and gives you even temperatures from room to room. Consult with your Trane dealer if you live in a particularly humid area before running your fan on continuous.  And they say this new generation of motors and controls not only allows more economical air cleaner operation but also lowers overall operating costs, reduces noise and provides greater levels of comfort.

Humidifiers

A humidifier can add a lot of comfort to the home during the winter months.  Save your family and your home from the damaging effects of over-dry air.  Dry nose and cracked, itchy skin.  Aggravated allergy and asthma symptoms.  Painful static shocks.  Chipping paint and plaster.  Warped or damaged wood floors and furniture, trim and molding. Sound familiar?  Why go through another season with these problems when there is a solution—a whole-home humidifier. 

Turning your temperature up in the wintertime will keep you warm but won’t increase your home’s humidity.  Daily activities like showering, cooking, and doing laundry won’t produce enough moisture to keep your home’s air from being too dry.  According to medical experts, many viruses thrive in low humidity and can increase the likelihood of getting colds, flu and upper respiratory ailments.  The American Society of Otolaryngology reports that it is important to prevent an overly dry environment because it makes people more susceptible to infection. 

A whole-home humidifier, installed professionally by Air Conditioning and Heating Service, will deliver the perfect amount of moisture to your air making you feel more comfortable at lower thermostat settings.  In fact, the EPA states that you can save up to 4% on your heating bill for every degree you lower your thermostat! Increase your family’s level of comfort and protect your valuable furnishings by adding just the right amount of moisture with a Whole-House Humidifier.

“If too dry an environment is your problem, consider a humidifier. Clues like awakening with a sore throat, dryness in your nose, or even a nose bleed are signs of too little humidity.”

How It Works
A whole-house humidifier is installed directly to your central heating and cooling system. Humidity is introduced into your home’s air in the form of water vapor, which prevents minerals from entering the air in your home and potentially into your lungs. Water is supplied to the distribution tray, allowing it to flow evenly across the water panel. The resulting humidified air is then distributed via your heating and cooling system ductwork throughout your home.

Whole-Home Humidification vs. Portable 
Too much humidity can be as much of a problem as too little humidity. Unlike portable units a whole-home humidifier continually monitors relative humidity levels in your home, then works to deliver the right amount of moisture, never too much or too little, to your entire house.  Humidifiers don't require daily cleaning and disinfecting that many portable units require and you never need to worry about the risk of microbial organism growth due to standing water.