If you live in a newly constructed residence in The Bay Area, it was probably made with energy efficiency at the top of the list. This means more insulation and windows and doors with enhanced seals. While these improvements are great for keeping your utility expenses under control, they’re not so fantastic for your indoor air quality.

Your HVAC system needs to operate with a filter. But if you have a flat filter, you won’t be experiencing ample filtration. This type only gives the smallest amount of protection by keeping dust out of your HVAC system.

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

That’s where a whole-house air purifier can be a good option. These systems are attached within ductwork to provide mighty filtration throughout your residence. Depending on the model you go with, you’ll be able to filter allergens, odors and even some viruses under certain airflow conditions.

Here are our top systems 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, provides top-of-the-line filtration. These filters were first made to guard scientists as they developed the atomic bomb. Today, they’re necessary in hospitals and other medical buildings.

The Healthy Climate HEPA Filtration System has a three-step filtration process. A prefilter catches larger irritants before the HEPA filter traps the rest of miniscule pollutants. Then, a charcoal filter eradicates odors and chemical vapors.

The PureAir™ S Air Purification System is compatible with all HVAC brands and smoothly links to your smart home. It fights the three major kinds of indoor air pollutants:

  • 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 capable of decreasing or eradicating 90%1 of flu and cold viruses under certain airflow conditions. And, based on laboratory and field studies, it reduces and destroys approximately 50% of your home’s odors and chemical vapors within 24 hours.

The PureAir S comes with sensing features that make it easy to maintain. When paired with an iComfort® S30 smart thermostat, you’ll get a notification to replace the filter and UVA light.2 This home air purifier must be installed with communicating Lennox systems and the iComfort S30.

2. Media Air Cleaners

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

The Healthy Climate Carbon Clean 16® Media Air Cleaner is great for families with allergy suffers and pets. This is a HEPA filter air purifier, since it has a MERV 16 rating for hospital-grade filtration. And it eliminates more than 95%3 of irritating particles from your house’s air.

The Healthy Climate 13 Media Air Cleaner is suggested for households who desire stronger protection from viruses and bacteria. This filter catches 99% of larger particles such as dust, pollen and lint. And up to 54% of smaller particles down to 0.3 microns.4

The Healthy Climate 11 Media Air Cleaner is a an excellent air purifier for allergies and in homes with pets. It eliminates more than 87% of bigger particles down to 3 microns and more than 28% of miniscule ones down to 0.3 microns.4 It’s able to provide this strong filtration without running up the bill for turning on your HVAC system.

These three media air cleaners are compatible with any brand of HVAC system. Regardless, it’s essential to be aware that some of the more substantial ones, including MERV 16 and 13, may limit your system’s airflow. This can inflate your energy bills.

3. UV Air Purifiers

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

In actuality, the Healthy Climate UV Germicidal Light can reduce the number of airborne microorganisms by 50% in as fast as 45 minutes.5 This light destroys cell structure, which stops these microorganisms from multiplying and spreading throughout your residence.

And this UV air purifier can also help keep your HVAC system clean and running like it should. It takes care of germs, mold and fungi that are hidden in ductwork and your system itself. This UV light air purifier does all these tasks without creating lung-inflaming ozone.6

Breathe Healthier Air with the Assistance of Our Air Purification Specialists

Your family’s comfort and health is important to us at Contra Costa Heating & AC. We realize there are a lot of options out there. That’s why we make it simple to partner with our indoor air quality pros. We specialize in developing solutions that match your needs and budget, and we’d love to hear more about your residence and your air quality problems. Call us at 510-343-9841 now to begin.


1Based on laboratory and field studies.

2
PureAir™ S requires the iComfort® S30 and a communicating indoor unit.


3
Leading 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.


4
Based on lab tests conducted on filters with conditions included in ASHRAE standard 52.2 for E1 and E3 size ranges.


5
Based on constant circulation of air in the home, 3,000-square-foot home with a 5-ton air handler.


6
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Ozone Generators that are Sold as Air Cleaners: An Assessment of Effective and Health Consequences,” August 2006.