Measuring Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality
Back to BlogAs a homeowner, there are plenty of essential details to keep track of, like energy and water. These necessities can easily be measured when you see your monthly utility bill. But what about ones you can’t see or touch? We’re talking about the quality of indoor air.
What is indoor air quality, or IAQ? How exactly can it be measured? Why is it important? We’ll be answering all these questions and more throughout this blog post. Learn the importance of maintaining good indoor air quality, what affects indoor air quality, and easy ways to keep yours fresh, clean, and safe to breathe.
What Are the Main Factors That Affect Air Quality?
People spend an average of over 90% of their time indoors, including in their homes, schools, workplace, and more. If these places don’t have good quality indoor air, you could spend 90% of your time breathing in harmful air pollutants. That goes double in areas with high humidity levels, like Georgia.
Of the 50 U.S. states, Georgia ranks as the 17th most humid, with summer levels reaching as high as 90%. This humidity level makes homes and commercial buildings in Georgia more prone to mold growth issues, leading to poor indoor air quality.
Poor HVAC ventilation and filtration are other key factors that affect indoor air quality. Inadequate ventilation and dirty filters can cause stuffy vents filled with dust and debris buildup. This eventually fills the air with these dust particles and other airborne pollutants, including pollen, viruses, smoke, pet dander, and more.
Signs of Poor Indoor Air Quality
When your home uses more energy, you get a higher energy bill; when you use more water, you get a higher water bill. From there, you can assess what changes to make to cut back, but with indoor air quality, it’s not quite that simple.
Your home’s air can contain small particulate matter, also known as PM, which can consist of smoke, dust, dirt, and/or mold, as well as carbon monoxide and dioxide. But, if it’s something you can’t see or touch, how can you know whether your IAQ is good or bad? This is where you’ll want to pay close attention to your body.
Indoor air quality is directly connected to your health, so when it’s low in freshness and cleanliness, you’ll notice that your body will begin to react to it. You may experience:
- Headaches
- Irritation of eyes, nose, throat, or skin
- Coughing or sneezing
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Sleep disturbances
Aside from bodily reactions, you’d also experience foul odors from the pet dander and dust accumulation.
How To Measure Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality
Measuring the indoor air quality in your home is an easy process. While home thermostats can measure a home’s humidity, only more advanced smart thermometers can measure pollutants or other compounds in the air. However, an electronic IAQ monitor can detect harmful pollutants and air moisture.
To accurately measure indoor air quality, use a monitor that displays what is in your air or one that connects to your smartphone and displays the air quality there. This electronic monitoring device is constantly testing and reporting your home’s air quality, so you can be sure that the information is accurate and displayed in real time.
Preventative Maintenance & Things To Look Out For
One of the best ways to maintain fresh and clean indoor air is by scheduling routine maintenance for your HVAC system. Whether it’s for a residential or commercial building, all heating and cooling units experience wear and tear over time. As a result, they become less efficient at providing good ventilation throughout your home due to buildup within the vents or in air filters. The recommendation is to schedule professional maintenance at least once a year.
Other ways to keep your air clean include using eco-friendly cleaning solutions and sprays, installing dehumidifiers and air purifiers, and refraining from smoking indoors. The same goes for commercial buildings. Refrain from blocking any air vents with office equipment, keep foods and perishables adequately stored, and dispose of garbage routinely. This will help keep the indoor air fresh, clean, and safe to breathe longer.
Improve Your Indoor Air Quality Today!
Indoor air quality is one of the most overlooked yet crucial parts of keeping residents, employees, and customers comfortable. And with a single call, your IAQ can be improved quickly! Our experienced professional technicians at Conditioned Air provide residential and commercial air quality services to keep your Middle Georgia home or business operating in optimal comfort for years to come.
Schedule an appointment or call the Conditioned Air team at 478-742-8768 today!