29
Sep
2009
Healthy Air, Save Money
(NAPS)-Clearing the air in you home could help you family breathe better and save you some cash. That’s the advice from experts who say that the accumulation of everyday dust and dirt– a long with pet dander, smoke residue and other contaminants– in a home’s ductwork can cause a number of health problems and boost your utility bills.
People with asthma or allergies, and young children and older adults may be especially susceptible to indoor air contaminants.
The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) says that air-handler units should be inspected once a year and cleaned as needed. When hiring an HVAC inspection, maintenance and restoration contractor, the EPA recommends on the use of service providers that comply with NADCA air duct cleaning standards. For more information call 202-737-2926 or visit www.nadca.com.
Cleaning your air ducts in your home could help keep your family healthy.
23
Jul
2009
Johns Hopkins Indoor Air Quality Study
For the study, researchers from the Center for Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment—a joint center of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine—followed 150 asthmatic children, ages 2 to 6, for six months. “We found that substantial increases in asthma symptoms were associated both with higher indoor concentrations of fine particles and with higher indoor concentrations of coarse particles,” said Meredith C. McCormack, MD, MHS, lead author of the study and an instructor with the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
For every 10 micrograms per cubic meter of air (ug/m3) increase in indoor coarse particle concentration, there was a 6 percent increase in the number of days of cough, wheeze, or chest tightness, after adjusting for a number of factors. For every 10 ug/m3 increase in fine particles measured indoors, there was a 7 percent increase in days of wheezing severe enough to limit speech and after adjusting for various factors, a 4 percent increase in days on which rescue medication was needed. In many cases, the level of indoor fine particle pollution measured was twice as high as the accepted standard for outdoor pollution established by the EPA.
“Children spend nearly 80 percent of their time indoors, which makes understanding the effects of indoor air very important,” said co-author, Gregory B. Diette, MD, an associate professor in the School of Medicine and co-director of the Center for Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment.
“Improving indoor air quality and lowering indoor particulate matter concentrations may provide additional means of improving asthma health, especially for children living in inner cities,” added co-author, Patrick Breysse, PhD, a professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and co-director of the Center for Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment.
The research was supported by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and the Johns Hopkins NIEHS Center for Urban Environmental Health.
Source: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health (2009, February 27). Indoor Air Pollution Increases Asthma Symptoms, Study Suggests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 13, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090219101700.htm
20
Jul
2009
Make your air conditioning system more efficient
Friday, July 17, 2009
Glenn Haege: The Handyman
We are getting to that point in the summer where we are starting to close up the house and run the air conditioner more often. But just because we have air conditioning doesn’t mean that the inside of our home will be comfortable. Some rooms may feel too hot, others too cold. And the air still can feel humid even though you are running your air conditioner night and day.
To improve your indoor comfort, you first need to understand what air conditioners can do. Air conditioners are designed to cool and dehumidify the air in your home. In order to do that, your air conditioner needs to run frequently so it can have time to take the humidity out of the air. Unfortunately, many people’s air conditioners are oversized and actually cool the air too quickly, thereby hindering its ability to truly “condition your air. If you are planning to replace your old air conditioner, make sure your contractor does a heat gain study and replaces it with a properly sized and Energy Star-rated air conditioner that will make you more comfortable and save you money.
Another area of maintenance you should consider is getting your air ducts cleaned to get rid of any debris, dirt and other pollutants that can restrict your cooling system’s air flow and contribute to your allergies. Some reputable duct cleaners include Dalton Environmental, (800) 675-2298; Dusty Ducts, (313) 381-7801; and Safety King (800) AIR-DUCT. Michael J. Palazzolo of Safety King also said that homeowners should consider getting their air conditioner’s evaporator and condenser coils and blower fan cleaned to help the system work more efficiently.
“Dirty and clogged coils will reduce the cooling capacity of an air conditioner and reduce air flow,” Mike said. “A recent study by Pacific Gas & Electric showed that cleaning the coil can increase energy efficiency by up to 30 percent.” Mike said it costs around $150 for Safety King to clean the coils and blower fan, but the added energy savings quickly makes up for the cost of cleaning. He also recommends changing your furnace filter regularly to help filter the air, but doesn’t recommend a MERV rating much higher than 8 because the higher-numbered filters can restrict air flow, which can lead to the evaporator coils icing up.
Controlling your indoor humidity is another way to keep your home comfortable in the summer. While your air conditioner should lower the humidity level in your home below 50 percent, it may not be doing that effectively. You can check your humidity level by buying a portable digital hygrometer at your local home center or hardware store. If you have too much humidity, you might be able to alleviate the problem with a portable dehumidifier that is Energy Star-rated. Brands include DeLonghi, (866) 528-8323, www.delonghi.com; Whirlpool, www.whirlpool.com; Frigidaire, (800) 374-4432, www.frigidaire.com; or Kenmore, (888) 536-6673, www.kenmore.com. You might also want to consider installing a whole-house dehumidification system from manufacturers Aprilaire, (888) 257-8801, www.aprilaire.com, or General Aire, (866) 476-5101, www.generalaire.com.
You could also look at a new thermostat control system from Honeywell, (800) 328-5111, www.forwardthinking.honeywell.com called the Prestige Comfort System that allows you to control both the temperature and the humidity level when combined with the company’s True Dry whole house dehumidification system.
But remember, even the most efficient air conditioner is designed to lower the inside temperature 15 degrees cooler than the outside temperature. Also, when you leave your home for 8 hours or longer, dial up the temperature by 4 to 6 degrees. DO NOT TURN OFF THE AIR CONDITIONER. So make sure your home is well insulated, your air conditioning system is in good working order, your humidity is under control, and then pick a temperature you can live with, and let the air conditioner do its job.
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