Probably the most underrated part of the HVAC system, air filters have a very important role to play in the effective functioning of your unit. Not only do they filter dirt, but they also act as the first line of defense against all the pollen and dust particles circulating your home and affecting the air quality. Air filters also help against the bits of insulation trapped into the system that could harm the functionality of your system or pose a fire risk to it.
While air filters for furnace or AC do so much to protect us from the micro-dangers lurking in the indoor air, they also need regular care and maintenance of their own in order to perform well. Air filters function by trapping dirt, and if not cleaned regularly can turn against you.
Changing your air filter regularly has several advantages. Not only will it improve the functioning and useful life of your system, but it will also bring down your electricity bills.
In this article, we discuss the six biggest advantages of changing your filters on time.
1. Increases Longevity of the HVAC System
Air filters lose their lives when not changed regularly. The average life span of an HVAC system is 10 to 15 years. To keep it running efficiently, and get the most life out of it, the only thing homeowners need to do is to change the air filter regularly. This makes the unit function smoothly for long periods of time.
Clogged air filters need to work harder to pass a sufficient amount of air through it to reach the desired temperature. This results in the HVAC system becoming overworked and the strain wears your system out. Moreover, dirty air filters let the debris particles clogged inside it to pass into the HVAC system, which affects the air conditioning system’s functionality. Such unwanted damages to the HVAC can be easily avoided with regular maintenance.
2.Saves Money
Regularly maintained air filters save you from the costly repairs that result from dirty clogged filters. HVAC repairs are one of the most costly home repairs you can make. It is not just the indoor air quality, your health, or the energy use that’s at stake, but your entire HVAC system. Air filters that are not maintained regularly can wreak havoc on the air handling systems. Clogged air filters restrict the airflow and cause the fan motor to work harder and run for longer periods to pass the air. Over-working of fan motor could result in it burning out, leaving you with high energy bills as well as costly repairs.
Besides this, dirty filters also pass along their dirt and debris into the air ducts. If not attended to, this dirt begins to accumulate and the result is clogged air ducts. This means more money needs to be spent on the cleaning and service of your entire air conditioning system. The heating and cooling coils of the system may get covered with dust too, which could result in burning out or freezing of the coils.
All of these issues can be avoided by regularly changing your air filters, which not only increases the efficiency of the system but also saves you from costly repairs due to your HVAC burning out.
3.Energy-Efficient System
Changing air filters regularly guarantees the peak efficiency of the HVAC system. Poorly maintained air filters become clogged and are unable to perform their job efficiently. It becomes difficult for the air to pass through the filter due to all the accumulated dirt inside it, and the system has to work twice as hard as it normally does. This hard work not only wears out your system but also adds to your energy bills. As per research by the Department of Energy, dirty air filters are reported to increase your energy bills by 15%. So, if you want some savings on your electricity bill, it is time to change that filter!
4.Health Benefits
Changing air filters regularly has positive effects on your health. There are numerous invisible pollutants in the air around us, harming our health without our knowledge. Pollen and dust found in our homes are extremely harmful and have a severe effect on people with allergies and asthma. This can be combated by changing air filters regularly; the cleaner the air filters are, the more dirt they can trap. Even if you don’t have allergies, changing air filters can improve your air quality and benefit your overall health.
Poor indoor air quality comes under the top 5 Environmental Health Risks. The smog has severe adverse effects on health. All things around our homes and outside it are emitting smoke and gases. Air filters play a huge role in regulating the indoor air quality by force trapping all the dangerous particles from the air and leaving our air fresh and clean. However, dirty filters cannot perform this job efficiently and regular maintenance of the air filters is imperative to ensure a healthier environment.
5.Helps against Mold
Mold and fungi are harmful microorganisms found in indoor air, as they seek warm and damp conditions. They grow rapidly and float around the air. They feed on dirt such as paper, wood cardboard, and plants. Dirty filters have all types of particles in it from the air, and they can act as a breeding ground for molds and mold spores.
Traditional air filters are made from cardboard and are damp and dark, which makes them the perfect place for mold to grow. Regularly updating your air filters helps resolve this problem by trapping mold and fungi and eliminating them from the air indoors.
6.Environment Protection
Changing air filters regularly contributes to the protection of the environment. Clogged HVAC systems work harder than usual, which results in the release of large amounts of Carbon Monoxide and other greenhouse gases, which not only affect the health of the individuals but also the overall environment.
An eco-friendly lifestyle does not mean giving up on your sources of comforts, but simply maintaining them to avoid any harmful consequence. Changing air filters regularly makes all the difference, and helps you live as a responsible citizen of the Earth.
Conclusion
These are just some of the reasons why changing your air filters regularly is so important, both for your own health as well as for the environment. It is generally recommended to change your filter every one to three months, especially if you live in an area with a lot of pollutants. Since air filters are normally very reasonably priced and easy to change by yourself without any professional help, there is no excuse to put off changing them when needed.
