From gracious southern mansions to Creole cottages to contemporary ranch-style homes, Louisiana offers residents a variety of beautiful architecture from which to choose. Some homes present unique challenges for climate control and ventilation. The region’s humidity, lush foliage and sub-tropical temperatures also require special ventilation and whole-house filtration solutions.
Why Indoor Air Quality Matters
Air conditioning and heating can keep your home at the right temperature, but air quality also has a dramatic impact on your family’s comfort and safety. You spend as much as 90 percent of your life indoors, especially during a scorching Louisiana summer or sudden winter cold snap. The air you breathe inside your home or office is recycled, so any impurities or allergens in it remain in the building without sufficient filtration and ventilation. Common air quality issues include:
- Pet dander
- Aerosolized cooking oil
- Pollen
- Dust mites
Your home may also have more serious air quality concerns, including secondhand smoke, radon gas, asbestos or vapors from chemicals in your garage or workshop. These pollutants could be dangerous to you and your family and need prompt attention from a professional HVAC company.
The American Lung Association notes that environmental pollutants inside homes and other buildings can contribute to respiratory irritation, lung infections, asthma and an increased risk of lung cancer. Common allergens such as dust mites and pet dander irritate eyes and noses, causing hay fever symptoms in allergy sufferers. Ventilation and filtration upgrades address these air quality concerns.
Air Filtration and Ventilation Solutions
Ventilation refers to the exchange of air between your home’s interior and exterior. Filtration traps allergens, smoke and other irritants in recycled or newly introduced air. Your home needs both to ensure excellent indoor air quality.
Most Louisiana homes use mechanical ventilation systems to exchange and condition outside air. The exhaust fan in your bathroom, your central air conditioner and your home’s heater provide forms of forced-air ventilation. They use motors and fans to move and condition the air in your home. Open windows and air shafts count as natural ventilation. In older homes built before central AC and heating, natural ventilation still plays an important role in air quality.
Without filtration to remove pollen, dust and other particles from outdoor supply air or recycled indoor air, your home’s ventilation system would quickly become clogged with dirt and require constant cleaning. Air filters also clean the air of bacteria and other common irritants before they reach your lungs. Some filters are more efficient than others at removing particles and cleaning the air. High-efficiency particulate absorption filters, commonly known as HEPA filters, remove smaller particles and produce higher air quality than conventional filters. Before upgrading to HEPA filters, many homeowners opt for duct cleaning to remove accumulations of dust and dirt that may already be in an older home’s ventilation system.
Humidity Control and Air Quality
Controlling Louisiana’s ever-present humidity is more than a matter of comfort; it also has a big impact on air quality. Contaminants like fungi thrive in damp conditions, producing millions of spores that can contribute to respiratory illnesses and allergies. A quality filtration system scrubs the air of spores while those that find their way into your home through doorways and open windows have nowhere to grow. With proper ventilation, your home becomes an inhospitable place for fungi and a more comfortable environment for your family.
Ventilation for Older Homes
Older homes are a treasured part of Louisiana’s heritage, but they weren’t built with modern ductwork and ventilation in mind. The soaring ceilings and raised floors traditional to Louisiana architecture make older homes challenging to retro-fit with ducts and air conditioning, but these changes dramatically improve comfort and air quality. Installing ventilation upgrades in an older home requires an experienced HVAC company to preserve the building’s integrity. Asbestos insulation, lead paint and other hazards were once common in older buildings; they require special attention during any new building or ventilation upgrades.
Duct Cleaning and Air Filtration Solutions in Louisiana
Whether you upgrade an older home’s ventilation system to provide modern comfort, build a new house with the latest in whole-house filtration technology or improve your current home’s HVAC system with HEPA filters and duct cleaning, Pioneer Comfort Systems is here to serve you. Choose a local company that understands the challenges of Louisiana’s heat and humidity to get the clean air and comfort you and your family deserve.