Energy-efficient Ventilation Systems: Improving Indoor Air Quality And Profitability – How to Improve Indoor Air Quality, From Filters and Purifiers to HVAC Upgrades : Snapshots – Health News Poor indoor air quality can get you down, but do you know what you’re breathing in your home? Here’s the latest on optimizing ventilation and other air-cleaning strategies.

Poor indoor air quality can contribute to health problems. Getting fresh air, changing the air filter and using an air purifier can help. skaman306/Getty Images hide caption

Energy-efficient Ventilation Systems: Improving Indoor Air Quality And Profitability

Poor indoor air quality can contribute to health problems. Getting fresh air, changing the air filter and using an air purifier can help.

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This summer, with wildfires suffocating parts of North America, we’re being warned to stay indoors to avoid poor air quality. But there are things

Once you start learning about potential indoor air pollutants, it can be hard to stop noticing them, warns Kathryn Pruitt, national senior policy director at the American Lung Association.

One source is moisture from flooding, leaks or even just high humidity, which can “support the proliferation of germs, pathogens, molds, dust mites, allergens or actual toxins,” says Pruitt.

Certain gases can also be dangerous. There is carbon monoxide that comes from combustion appliances, such as gas furnaces or space heaters. And then there’s radon, which is a radioactive gas that “comes into the home naturally,” says Pruitt, “and can lead to lung cancer.”

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You also need to be careful about consumables and cleaning products that can release pollutants such as formaldehyde, benzene, and other volatile organic compounds. They can be found in furnishings such as wall coverings, furniture and carpets.

And, of course, smoking or lighting a fire indoors introduces smoke. Plus, sometimes the outside air that comes in through your windows can contain problematic pollutants, like wildfire smoke, pollen, and other allergens.

Poor indoor air quality can have health effects ranging from eye, nose and throat irritation to headaches and dizziness to asthma attacks. It is also linked to respiratory and heart disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

There may also be a cognitive risk from breathing polluted air. For example, one study found that workers did not perform well on cognitive tests when office ventilation rates were lower.

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A portable air purifier can be a good way to clean the air if the outdoor air quality is poor. Michael Svensen/Getty Images hide caption

A portable air purifier can be a good way to clean the air if the outdoor air quality is poor.

And finally, with COVID-19 and other viruses circulating, the spread of airborne germs is a serious problem indoors.

“There are many infections that we’ve known about for a long time, long before COVID, that are airborne,” says Andrew Ibrahim, a surgeon and researcher at the University of Michigan with a background in architecture. “So air circulation makes it less likely to be transmitted between people.”

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its ventilation guidelines this May, urging building owners and operators to adopt practices that reduce the spread of viral particles. While these recommendations may be most relevant to schools, hospitals, and group residential or care facilities, homeowners can also learn from their advice.

Pruitt offers three basic steps you can take to improve the air in your home. The first is related to ventilation. “Generally speaking, in most situations,” she says, “fresh air outside is better than no fresh air outside.”

This means that opening a window is often the easiest way to disperse anything vile that may be building up inside. If you have one, running central air can be a good way to bring in outside air.

The CDC recommends using fans to improve indoor air quality. For example, you can place it near an open window to help draw indoor air outside.

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However, Pruitt says, “there are times when outside air is not a good idea to bring into your home.” Just take the terrible air flowing from the wildfires in Canada this summer.

Another thing you can do is called source control, which is “keeping the sources of pollutants out of the indoor environment if you can,” says Pruitt, including pests, mold and pollen.

The rationale is that if you eliminate the source, you eliminate the problem. It can be as simple, Pruitt says, as leaving your dry cleaner outside long enough to drain the solvents. She recommends removing scented candles and other “air manipulation devices” that push aromas into your home “because those scents are actually volatile organic compounds.”

When it comes to flooring, “carpet can harbor dust mites in a way that hardwood floors can’t,” says Pruitt. So it might make sense to pull up the rug if you have allergies or asthma.

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Cleaning your home is helpful, but Pruitt warns that “using harsh cleaners can introduce its own risks.” She advises reading labels and choosing safer products when you can. “The EPA has a Safer Choice label that is a helpful guide,” she says.

Then there are gas furnaces and appliances, which can emit methane and carbon dioxide, says John Macomber, a lecturer at Harvard Business School and author of

. “So if you don’t have a perfect exhaust of what you’re burning, then you’re going to have particles and compounds in the house.”

If you are unable to ditch your gas lines, make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector. And if you have an exhaust fan, double check that it’s venting.

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“It’s a little strange,” says Macomber, “that people have evolved over centuries to have open flames where they live.”

Instead of always cooking on a gas stove, consider using a microwave, toaster or portable induction cooktop when possible. Pruitt stresses the importance of regularly servicing your appliances to keep them in good shape.

Finally, if necessary, the third thing you can try to improve your air is filtration. For example, if you want to remove airborne particles such as smoke, dust, pollen, mold spores, and germs, it may make sense to use an indoor air purifier. The CDC suggests using a filter with a high-efficiency particulate air filter, or HEPA, to reduce the spread of viral particles. They are also effective at trapping other pollutants.

For more specific advice, Pruitt says, “The California Air Resources Board has a certification program for air cleaners, along with excellent guidelines.”

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And “for homes with air conditioning,” says Ibrahim, “you have a filter that you should change regularly.” He suggests replacing the default filter with a better one. Filters come with MERV ratings, which represent minimum efficiency reporting values. A decent level is MERV 13, says Ibrahim. (HEPA filters are superior with a rating of at least MERV 17.)

Pruitt says everyone, especially those most vulnerable to indoor pollutants, such as young children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems, benefit from these improvements. “Any small change you’re willing and able to make will improve indoor air quality,” she says.

If you are in a position to upgrade your home’s HVAC system, you can do a lot to improve air quality.

Macomber, who ran a Boston construction company for 30 years, is remodeling his home in Cambridge, Mass., focusing on energy efficiency and air quality. He has several suggestions.

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Heat pumps, which bring warm or cool air into the home, are more energy efficient than traditional HVAC systems and improve air quality. Macomber was installing them as part of a renovation of his house in Cambridge. Ari Daniel for the hidden title

Heat pumps, which bring warm or cool air into the home, are more energy efficient than traditional HVAC systems and improve air quality. Macomber was installing them as part of a renovation of his house in Cambridge.

He admits that the mechanical reconstruction of such a large house is not cheap. And if you have a working system, these types of changes and upgrades usually don’t add up financially.

But Macomber opts for changes that might make sense if you’re renovating anyway, like ditching the gas lines for heating and cooking and going all-electric.

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Additionally, “if it looks like your furnace or hot water heater is going to go out soon, or you need to replace your central air conditioner,” he says, then you can figure out a more efficient and cleaner way to heat and cool your home.

“There are also different levels of tax relief,” says Macomber. “Many of them are loans that are available to low and moderate incomes.”

The IRS explains these home improvement credits, which revolve around energy inefficiency. They include heat pumps and insulation, “which directly lead to better indoor air quality,” says Macomber. For example, you can claim up to $2,000 a year for a qualified heat pump, which uses electricity to move heat from a cold to a warm place.

A recent update to the CDC’s ventilation guidelines recommends, among other things, that indoor air be exchanged at least five times every hour, well above that of the average household.

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Schools, health facilities and group residential or care facilities are

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