Advanced Air Conditioning and Heat

You can keep your IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) high by maintaining a clean house, ventilating the inside air, and minimizing sources of indoor pollution. The past few years have seen us become mainly indoor creatures, but especially so following the Coronavirus lockdowns. With up to 80% less traffic on the streets, the outdoor air has had a chance to recover and become cleaner than it has been in years. But what about indoor air? Unfortunately, our homes aren't enjoying the same privileges. If anything, the air quality inside our homes has worsened significantly from the increased use. Indoor air pollutants can be five times as high as those outdoors, especially in today's airtight homes. The most dangerous thing is that increased levels of pollutants and particulate matter (PM) increases our chances of contracting COVID-19; scientists say that the virus could be attaching itself to these solid particles. Additionally, the inflammation caused by these pollutants could be making us more susceptible to the virus. We need to take measures to ensure better air quality inside our homes to protect ourselves and our families both from COVID-19 and long-term respiratory conditions. Is Your Home Air Clean Enough? During the cold months up north it might be an advantage to stay locked up and cozy at home as this will limit your contact with contagions. However South Florida seldomly sees extended periods of cold weather, making it especially important to be aware of the symptoms that poor indoor air quality can produce. Some of the most common symptoms include Sneezing, Shortness of breath, Hypersensitivity, Coughing, Dizziness, Asthma flare-ups, Constant fatigue, and Sleepiness. The Main Culprits of Indoor Pollution - Unlike the smog and fog you typically see outside, indoor air pollution consists more of biological matter, chemical compounds, and suspended particulate matter. Biological matter or biomass typically comes from pet dander from resident furries or tracked in through our clothes and shoes. Skin mites, dandruff, plant remains, wood dust, and mold spores also contribute to the biomass in the air. We add respiratory aerosols to this disgusting mix every time we cough or sneeze inappropriately. Chemical compounds also tend to accumulate in our homes. These include nitrogen dioxide (NO2) from the outside air and toxic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from all the plastics, disinfectants, paints, carpets, pesticides, and preservatives in our homes. Our homes can even have formaldehyde from these chemical pollutants, which has been shown to be carcinogenic. Even worse, the dust in the air is especially insidious because it can also contain toxic heavy metals such as asbestos, lead, and radon. Older homes might have lead paint, asbestos roofing, lead piping, and radon seeping in through the basement. For those who burn coal, charcoal, dung, or smoke indoor, the problem becomes much worse. How to Maintain Your Indoor Air Quality - Keeping the air inside our homes clean during the pandemic is paramount. The WHO has released guidelines about indoor air quality and COVID-19, and experts have since put together guidelines about indoor air quality during the pandemic. Clean Better and More Often - Vacuuming is one of the most effective ways to get rid of dust, pet dander, pollen, dust mites, fibers, and other toxic hazards. Use a HEPA filter with your vacuum cleaner to make sure these particles are not blown back out again. Mop and wipe everywhere you can with a mild soap solution to pick up anything else that the vacuum leaves behind. Other best practices to keep your home and the air clean include picking up any scraps of food and not bringing in dusty shoes into the house. Ventilate - Whenever you can, open the windows to let in air. Even with the HVAC on, typical settings are to cycle outside air three times every hour for maximum efficiency.

The primary sources of indoor pollution include gases such as radon, formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide, as well as impurities such as dust, pollen grains, pet dander, and other various particulate matter. Outdoor air pollution gets a lot of attention, but what about indoor air? Many homeowners usually concern themselves with external pollution — smoke from factories' chimneys or the exhaust spews from cars — but never do they consider that pollution can also come from within their own home. However, the view that internal air pollution is less toxic is far from reality. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air inside your home is polluted about five more times than the air outside. Combining this information with research that suggests we spend more than 90% of our time indoors forces us to face the reality that the air we breathe is not as pure as we believe. Poor indoor air quality is closely associated with respiratory problems, allergies, heart diseases, and cancer. Furthermore, WHO states that air pollution is slowly but surely becoming the world's single biggest environmental health risk and is linked to over 7 million deaths per year. What blinds many from the impacts of indoor air pollution is the fact that you cannot see or detect the amount of pollutants in your house through the naked eye. A lack of smoke does not necessarily mean that your air is pure. On the other hand, it makes it easy for us to overlook the importance of indoor air quality until health complications start showing up. The primary sources of indoor pollution include gases such as radon, formaldehyde, and carbon dioxide, as well as impurities such as dust, pollen grains, pet dander, and other various particulate matter. Asbestos Asbestos, found in various materials used in building and construction, such as paints, coatings, ceilings, floors, and tiles. Formaldehyde Formaldehyde is a chemical that is widely used in the manufacture of paints and sealants. It is also a byproduct of combustion when cooking or smoking. Radioactive Gases Radon is a naturally occurring gas and can be found underneath your home in bedrocks. In Florida, one in five homes tested has unacceptable radon levels above 4 pCi/L. Tobacco Smoke Tobacco smoke has over 7000 carcinogens, most of which are considered toxic and can lead to conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer. Carbon Monoxide (CO) Homes with fuel-burning appliances are more likely to have CO problems. Sources include gas stoves, ovens, and water heaters, motor vehicles, and generators. Volatile Organic Compounds VOCs are found in paints, sealants, wax, adhesives, and caulks, and long term exposure will cause difficulty in breathing. Biological Contaminants This refers to microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi that infiltrate the indoor environment. They manifest as animal dander, cat saliva, dust, mites, insects, and pollen grains. Pesticides Pesticides are inherently toxic and are sold as sprays, sticks, powders, crystal balls, and foggers. Extreme exposure to them can lead to complications of the kidney, liver, and nervous systems. Cleaning Supplies Household cleaning and personal care products often contain chemicals will contribute to indoor air pollution.

Yes. For most applications, ductless or so-called "mini split" systems may save you money. They have several major advantages over traditional systems.A traditional HVAC system forces air through a system of ducts that run through your home. This is how we have done it for a long time and, thus, is what most homes have. However, ductless or so-called "mini split" systems do exist, and for some applications may, in fact, save you money. They have some major advantages over traditional systems. A ductless system consists of an indoor unit in each room, connected to an outdoor unit by a simple conduit. The conduit contains the power cable, refrigerant tubing, suction tubing and condensate drain. Because each room has its own unit, it's easy to control the temperature in different parts of your home. Ductless systems are more environmentally friendly, easier to retrofit, and scale up readily. The outdoor unit can handle as many as eight different indoor units. You Don't Have to Add Ducts Sometimes, you have an old house that doesn't have ductwork. Adding it can be time consuming and expensive, and doubles the costs over adding air conditioning to a home which already has ducts for heating. Ductwork has to be carefully situated and hidden so as not to ruin the aesthetics of your home. If your home is a historic building, it can be particularly difficult to add ductwork in an appropriate manner. A ductless system can be installed without affecting your home's charm or costing a fortune. Installing a ductless system requires nothing more than a three-inch hole through the wall, and the outdoor unit can be as much as fifty feet away from the indoor section. While the units themselves are visible, they can be installed in flexible ways, including in the ceiling. Zone-Based Cooling and Heating Saves Energy Because you have separate indoor units, you can control each one individually. This allows you to, for example, send less heat or cooling to rooms you don't use as often, such as a spare bedroom. You can adjust the temperature to avoid hot or cold spots, and so as to avoid wasting energy cooling rooms that are hard to cool, such as sun rooms, to the same degree. Also, this means you don't have to close grilles in empty rooms, which can cause mold problems. If you only use part of the house, then it can be handy to turn the main thermostat all the way down and the install a ductless system in only the rooms you use. For larger homes, you can install two separate outdoor units, perhaps one for each floor. There Is No Wasted Energy Pushing Air Through Giant Ducts Traditional systems use as much as 30% of their energy simply moving air around, especially during the summer. Dense, cold air has to be moves through a system that covers the entire house. Meanwhile, ductless systems are only sending refrigerant through thin pipes to compact units. This is much more efficient and uses less energy to condition the same amount of space. It also means that when you turn the air conditioning on, there's less "lag time" before the space starts to cool, which makes it easier to adjust temperatures through your diurnal cycle, using less energy during the day and dropping temperatures at night for better sleep. Ductless Systems Use Less Energy to Start Up Ductless systems use a different type of compressor, which is driven by inertia. The compressor automatically speeds up and slows down based on your needs, and never shuts down entirely. Because of this, it doesn't consume the ridiculous amounts of energy that compressor start-up can. This allows you to turn the system all the way down when on vacation without facing a big energy spike when you get back. It can take twice as much power to start up as when running. This also keeps the temperature more even and avoids the situation where the temperature jumps up and your air conditioning system takes twenty minutes to "notice." Again, this is particularly useful if you live somewhere with a lot of temperature fluctuation where you might only need air conditioning for part of the day.

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