Category: Air Cleaners

Effects of UV Lights on Your Home

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

UV Light Effects on Your Home in Charlotte

You may not have heard of bioaerosols before. They don’t sound so bad. But you have heard of their more specific names: mold, mildew, and bacteria. Where traditional air filters do a good job removing non-organic pollutants from the air (pet dander, smoke, dust, etc.), you need additional help, especially in moist, humid climates, combating organic threats to you and your family’s health.

Hospitals have long used UV lights to help keep air disinfected. While they do not eliminate 100% of the source of all airborne microorganisms, UV lights installed in ductwork will significantly reduce mold, mildew, and bacteria that otherwise find themselves pushed out of ducts, into the air you breathe.

What UV Lights Should I Get for My Home?

Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical is proud to sell and service only the very best.

Healthy Climate® UV germicidal lights. Brought to you by the industry leader, Lennox, these are the highest-intensity residential UV lights you can buy.

Once installed, Healthy Climate® UV germicidal lights can reduce the concentrations of airborne microorganisms in your home by over 50% in a mere 45 minutes. They damage the cellular structure of mold, mildew, and bacteria, keeping them from multiplying and spreading throughout your home.

And rest assured that unlike some legacy systems, Healthy Climate® UV germicidal lights produce absolutely no ozone, delivering higher air quality with no environmental downside.

What About Servicing My UV Lights?

Your UV lights will actually help service the rest of your HVAC system as they work! Germicidal lights kill fungus, germs, and mold found not only in ductwork but also within your cooling and heating systems. Working in this capacity, they help keep your HVAC clean and running at peak performance.

“Fiscal Cliff” Averted; HVAC and Water Heating Tax Credits Extended

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

Good news for tax payers in Charlotte, North Carolina!

Aimed at averting the “fiscal cliff,” the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) has extended numerous energy-efficiency and renewable energy deductions and credits for another year—and that means more savings for you! Energy tax credits from 2011 that expired on January 1, 2012 have been extended to December 31, 2013. Because these tax credits were reinstated retroactively, they can be used on any qualifying equipment installed after December 31, 2011. Any eligible taxpayer (homeowner) can claim a tax credit of up to $500 in qualifying HVAC and water heating equipment. Of course, there are a few limitations. Here are some of the details:

Water Heaters (Tax Credit: $300)

Electric heat pump, propane, natural gas, and oil water heaters may qualify.     Minimum standards apply on the energy factor and the thermal efficiency of the water heater.

Furnaces (Tax Credit: $150)

Propane, natural gas, or oil furnaces may qualify.     Minimum standards apply on the AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) of the furnace.

Boilers (Tax Credit: $150)

Propane, natural gas, or oil boilers may qualify.     Minimum standards apply on the AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) of the boiler.

Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps (Tax Credit: $300)

Split-system central air conditioners, packaged central air conditioners, split-system electric heat pumps, and packaged electric heat pumps may qualify.     Minimum standards apply on the SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio), EER (energy efficiency ratio), and HSPF (heating seasonal performance factor) of the air conditioner or heat pump.

Advanced Main Air Circulating Fans (Tax Credit: $50)

Propane, natural gas, or oil furnace fans may qualify as long as they have a maximum annual electricity use of 2% of the total energy of the furnace.

Details about qualifying equipment can be found in Section 25C of the IRC (Internal Revenue Code). If you already have some of the above-mentioned equipment in your home, don’t forget to claim your tax credits! Consult your tax advisor for additional details and instructions about the 25C tax credit extension.

On the other hand, if you haven’t upgraded your air conditioning and heating system yet, now is the time to do so. If you would like to take advantage of both the energy savings and the $500 tax credit, contact a qualified HVAC company to learn more about product eligibility. Residents of Charlotte, North Carolina can call Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical at [phone]for more information.

For Reliable Heating and Cooling Throughout the Year, Consider an Air Handler

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

One of the most important components of a traditional heat pump system is the air handler. It provides you with reliable, steady heating and cooling all year round, while ventilating stale air out and fresh air in. Moreover, it filters out unwanted contaminants. An air handler can even give additional protection with humidity control and air quality upgrades.

How Does It Work?

The air handling unit is located in a home that has heating and/or cooling parts, a blower fan, dampers and filters. It controls the amount of air being sent through the heater or air conditioner. An air handler also determines whether the air being sent is cool or warm. It is connected to the ducts that distribute air through a home and returns it to the air handler via the air filter and return vent.

Installation Considerations

When selecting a new air handler, the existing cooling and heating systems in your home are extremely important considerations, as well as the total square-footage. Furthermore, if you only require an air handler for your heat pump or furnace for use in winter, you may not need dehumidification.

Conversely, if you want to use an air handler throughout the year for both cooling and heating, and have it integrated with other systems such as air filtration, UV germicidal lights and dehumidification, you’ll need one that can provide all the necessary tools and protections to meet your needs. A heating and cooling professional will have to come and assess your home to ensure you get a suitable air handler.

Whole-House Air Cleaner and UV Lights – for That Breath of Fresh Air You Need

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

If you’re looking to improve the quality of your indoor air with one simple purchase, a whole-house air cleaner and ultraviolet (UV) lights are two of your best choices. Knowing what pollutants trigger allergy or asthma symptoms for you or members of your family is the first step. However, if multiple contaminants trigger these symptoms, there’s an even better solution.
Manufacturers such as Lennox now recognize the advantages of various technologies, such as whole-house air cleaners and UV lights, and you can now choose equipment that combines multiple indoor air-quality solutions in one system.

One such system, Lennox’ PureAir, utilizes a whole-house air cleaner and UV lights, along with odor and vapor protection to optimize results.

Whole-house air cleaner

This portion of the PureAir system relies on a filtration technology to target a range of problematic pollutants, including pet dander, pollen and dust particles. Utilizing a Precision Pleat MERV 16 filter, when the air first passes through the system it is able to capture the smallest of particles, down to 0.01 microns, taking them out of your home’s airstream.

UV lights

Next, the air passes over UV lights, designed to specifically target mold, viruses, dust mites and bacteria. Instead of trapping these pollutants, powerful ultraviolet rays zap them, so that they are harmless after coming into contact with the UV rays.

Odor and vapor protection

During the final phase, the PureAir utilizes powerful odor- and vapor-reducing technology to filter out volatile organic compounds, in addition to removing odors from a variety of sources, including those from cleaning solutions, paints and cooking.
When choosing a system, consider the following factors:

  • Clean air delivery rate (CADR). Select an system with a CADR rating that will match the square footage of your home
  • Operating costs. Air cleaners will generally work only as long as you run your furnace blower, even if your furnace or A/C is off, in order to circulate air. Run the numbers with an expert to estimate each system’s annual operating costs.

With a whole-house air cleaner like PureAir, you can expect cleaner air. For expert advice in greater Charlotte, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical.

Indoor Air Quality Control With 3 Prevention Methods

Posted on | by Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical

You home’s indoor air quality is measured based on the level of contaminants present. Your home may contain any combination of biological or chemical contaminants. Good air quality means that there are very low levels of these contaminants in your home. You can improve indoor air quality by eliminating or controlling contaminants using three basic strategies.

Source control

The most effective method of controlling your indoor air quality is to eliminate or reduce specific sources of pollution. Primary methods of source control include:

  • Smoking outdoors
    Eliminating the use of candles, incense or liquid fuels, which can emit carbon monoxide, VOCs, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and soot as by-products of combustion
  • Avoiding the use of chemical pesticides
  • Using natural cleaners instead of chemically-based cleaners
  • Changing filters in all appliances regularly

Ventilation

By increasing the outdoor air coming inside your home, you allow the contaminated air to circulate out, and fresh air to move in. Bathroom or kitchen fans should be installed so that they exhaust outdoors to remove contaminants directly from the room where they’re located.

Air cleaners

Air cleaners can also be a valuable tool in improving the air quality in your home. There are a variety of types and sizes of air cleaners available. Some are inexpensive, portable models, while others are whole-home systems. Air cleaners aren’t typically designed to remove gaseous air pollutants, but the right one (Lennox PureAir) can be effective at removing germs, dust, pollen, odors, and other contaminants.

Controlling your home’s indoor air quality is vital to ensuring the health of your family. If you live in Charlotte, North Carolina, contact Acosta Heating, Cooling & Electrical to discuss your options for reducing the air contaminants in your home