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Sustainable Living Heat Your Home Efficiently This Winter If you want to take a bite out of your energy use this winter, it makes sense to attack one of your home's biggest energy users: heating.
Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). It helps determine a filter's efficiency, effectiveness, and what it can capture and remove from the air.
The furnace is a good place to start. Regular maintenance helps keep it energy efficient, safe, and operating optimally. A good way to make sure your furnace is in top shape is to schedule a professional tune-up every other year. The technician will clean, inspect, and test your furnace. You also can ask for a furnace efficiency analysis. This can help you gauge when it may be time to replace your furnace with a more efficient model.
ASHRAE rates filters from MERV 1 to MERV 17. The rating indicates the size and type of particles a filter can trap. This includes dust, bacteria, gases, viruses, and other contaminants in the air. The higher the MERV, the finer filtration the filter provides. The Environmental Protection Agency recommends at least MERV 13 for most indoor spaces.
All Filters Are Not the Same Clogged filters can inhibit airflow, causing your furnace to work harder and use more energy. During heating season, check your filter monthly, and clean or replace it when it’s dirty. This will help manage energy use and enhance air quality.
MERV 8 and MERV 13 are popular filter ratings. A MERV 8 filter is 20 percent efficient at trapping particles that are between one and three micrometers. In comparison, a MERV 13 filter is at least 85 percent efficient at capturing particles of that same size. It can be helpful to consider the kinds of particles that filters with these two ratings can capture. • MERV 8: Lint, dust, pollen, and mold spores.
When shopping for new filters, you may be tempted to buy the most inexpensive filters on the shelf, but you should consider the MERV rating. This industry-standard rating system was developed by the American Society of Heating, 28 Additional photos at homeelementsandconcepts.com
• MERV 13: All those listed for MERV 8 plus pet dander, smoke, smog, particles from coughing/sneezing, and virus carriers.
