Indoor air quality refers to several factors associated with the air inside your home, including temperature, humidity, and particulate levels. While many of the airborne particles in your home are inanimate, such as dirt, dust, pollen, and animal dander, some particles are actually microscopic organisms that include mold, bacteria, and viruses. The presence of fungi, bacteria, and viruses in your home’s indoor environment can raise your risk of respiratory and other illnesses, ranging from lung infections to the flu. Germicidal UV light installation is a simple and long-lasting way to ensure the air inside your home is free from microorganisms for fresh, clean air each time your family inhales.
How UV Lights Work
Germicidal UV lights are simple devices designed to work around the clock to improve the air quality inside your home. Outside, high-energy UV rays generated by the sun neutralize airborne viruses, bacteria, and fungi; indoors, a germicidal lamp performs this same function as air from your forced-air heating and cooling system passes through the beam. Because UV light is so energetic, it kills or neutralizes harmful organisms before they can affect your health. Today, UV lights are used in a variety of applications, including the sterilization of hospital and restaurant environments. Installing a germicidal UV light in your HVAC system offers you these same health benefits as well, reducing your risk of becoming ill due to exposure to microorganisms in your home’s air. Because UV light also kills mold spores, a UV light system can prevent mold buildup inside your HVAC system, your ducts, and elsewhere in your home as well.
What’s Involved in UV Light Installation
Germicidal UV light installation is a simple and straightforward process. Once you’ve chosen the UV lamp you want to install, your HVAC service can complete this task during a single visit. To install the lamp, a small hole is cut from the ductwork just above your central HVAC system’s air handler. Air is pushed by the air handler up into your ducts after heating and cooling, so the placement of the lamp in this location ensures that the air circulated through your ducts is always clean and germ-free. Once the lamp is installed inside the hole, it will remain lit 24 hours a day, cleaning your home’s air every time your HVAC system activates and sends air through your ducts into your living spaces. The average energy cost to run a germicidal UV lamp is under $30 per month, and the lamps are typically rated to last one year or longer. Your UV bulb can be checked by your heating and air conditioning service each time you schedule a maintenance visit and takes just seconds to replace if necessary during this service.
Germicidal UV light installation can help to control bacteria, mold, and viruses in your home’s indoor air. These lights also neutralize volatile organic compounds and can reduce odors for indoor air that is fresher and healthier for your family to breathe. You can find out more about germicidal UV light installation and how easy it is to commit to cleaner indoor air here.
