Boston homeowners want the best for their families. And when it comes to choosing the right HVAC equipment, that means finding something that can optimize your home’s indoor air quality (IAQ). Although it’s not visually evident, the Environmental Protection Agency reports that some pollutants are two to five-times more concentrated indoors than they are outside. Considering the average person spends 90% of their day inside, this is a considerable difference.

Here, we’ll take a look at why IAQ matters and how a ductless HVAC system can work to clean your home’s air.

Why you should care about your home’s IAQ

Pollutants can negatively impact your family’s health

Just like outdoor pollutants, airborne contaminants inside your home can have detrimental effects on the health of you and your family. Possible short-term side effects include fatigue, headaches, dizziness, esophageal irritation, and itchy eyes. More harmful, long-term health complications include cancer, heart disease, and respiratory diseases. Improving your home’s IAQ can greatly decrease the potential of these problems arising.

Cleaner air can improve cognitive functioning

The quality of indoor air is usually associated with improved physical health, but a landmark Harvard study is suggesting that the benefits can even extend to cognitive functions. In the experiment, two groups were provided the same tasks, but one group was in a building with better IAQ than the other. The results revealed significantly better cognitive performance in the group. So, whether you’re working from home or have students studying at home, IAQ can have a real impact on performance.

How a ductless HVAC system improves indoor air quality

Humidity control

Humidity is more than just a nuisance. When not regulated properly, it can actually increase the concentration of certain indoor air pollutants. Most notably, higher humidity increases the moisture in your home’s air, making it more inviting to mold growth. And with up to 70% of homes currently struggling with mold, this excess humidity doesn’t bode well for IAQ.

Ductless heat pumps can help assuage this problem by making it easier to control the humidity in your home. When in cooling mode, these units absorb the moisture from within your home and transfer it outside. The drier air left behind has a tougher time holding moisture, decreasing the likelihood of mold growth.

No ductwork

One of the critical – and obvious – distinctions between ductless heat pumps and more traditional HVAC systems is the presence of ductwork. Standard centralized systems carry air to different areas of your home through extensive systems of ductwork that tend to accumulate dirt, dust, pollen, bacteria, and other debris. These indoor air pollutants end up getting pumped back into your home, contaminating the air you breath.

To make matters worse, Energy Star reports that up to 30% of the air moving through a home’s duct system escapes through gaps and poor connections. Each of these leaks is another opportunity for pollutants to enter into your home’s air. Heat pumps evade these problems by doing away with ductwork altogether. This results in higher IAQ and improved energy efficiency from mini-splits.

Robust filtration systems

Ductless heat pumps are outfitted with multi-stage filter systems to limit the amount of air pollutants that find their way into your home. Robust fair filters are used to capture dust, dirt, pollen, dander, bacteria, and other common indoor air pollutants. Boston homeowners can clean and replace these filters regularly for even better IAQ.

Some mini-split units even have self-cleaning capabilities that greatly reduce the chances of spores or bacteria settling. Although more traditional systems have similar systems in place, ductless mini splits have shown to be more effective at improving air quality.

If you’re interested in making the switch from centralized HVAC to a ductless system or simply have some questions about the process, feel free to reach out to us here at New England Ductless. Our team of highly qualified installation and maintenance specialists can help you identify the best mini-split option given your home’s unique needs.

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