How Cold Weather Affects Indoor Air Quality (And What to Do About It)

Maintaining good indoor air quality (IAQ) in your home is important for your health, comfort, and overall well-being. Virtually every home has certain concerns that contribute to IAQ issues, and these issues can become especially pronounced during the winter. Here, we’ll look at the most common causes of winter IAQ issues. We will also look at the steps you can take to combat them to keep your family healthy and your home more comfortable.

Understanding the Ways Cold Weather Affects IAQ

The main reason you typically experience more issues with poor indoor air quality in Michigan in the winter is that you keep your house tightly sealed up to combat the cold temperatures and ensure that you stay warm and comfortable. This leads to dust and other allergens getting trapped indoors and then circulated around the house whenever the heating system runs.

Every house also contains a variety of items that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other pollutants. Furniture, building materials, cleaning products, cosmetics, and even electronics release VOCs into the air. If the house is tightly sealed up and doesn’t have sufficient ventilation, the concentration of these pollutants continually increases.

Dry air in winter in Michigan is another common problem that contributes to worsened indoor air quality. Cold air can’t hold as much moisture, which is why winter air tends to feel fairly dry. Heating the air inside a house causes the relative humidity to decrease, leaving the air feeling even drier. Dry indoor air negatively impacts personal comfort, as it can lead to issues like dry skin, itchy, runny eyes and throat, nose, and sinus irritation. It also creates health concerns by drying out your mucous membranes, making you more susceptible to colds and other bacterial and viral infections.

Effective Solutions for Improving IAQ During the Winter

There are various upgrades you can make to your HVAC system that will help combat different IAQ concerns during the winter. In terms of overcoming problems with dry air, the best option is to install a whole-home humidifier. Portable humidifiers have their uses, but a whole-home humidifier offers a much more effective solution to tackling dry air throughout the house.

There are three different types of whole-home humidifiers, but they all work by adding moisture to the heated air flowing through the HVAC ductwork. As the heating system runs, it then circulates the warm, moist air around to quickly increase the relative humidity level throughout the house. Bypass humidifiers and fan-powered humidifiers rely on the heat the HVAC system produces to cause water in the reservoir or pad to evaporate. Steam humidifiers instead use electricity to boil water and produce steam. This has the advantage of allowing you to continue running the humidifier when your heating system is off. The drawback is that steam humidifiers have much higher energy demands and can be somewhat costly to operate.

Upgrading to a more efficient air filter, such as a media filter or electronic air cleaner, is an effective solution for reducing dust and allergens throughout the year. Standard HVAC air filters mainly trap dust and other larger particulates. Media filters and air cleaners filter out a higher percentage of larger particles and also work against much smaller particles like dust mites, mold spores, and pet dander.

Installing an air purifier in Brighton, MI, helps combat almost the full range of IAQ issues. Air filters only work against particulate matter, whereas a whole-home air purifier can tackle airborne particles along with other issues like chemical fumes and germs.

The Importance of Regular HVAC Maintenance for IAQ

Another crucial part of avoiding IAQ issues is ensuring that your HVAC system is properly maintained. Scheduling an annual tune-up in the fall helps improve heating performance, reducing how much your HVAC system has to run. The less your heating has to run, the less dust, allergens, and contaminants it stirs up and blows around the house. A well-maintained HVAC system also circulates air more evenly, which helps to prevent contaminants from concentrating in certain areas.

Checking the condition of your HVAC air filter regularly and replacing it every month or two is equally important. Air filters continually get clogged over time, making it more and more difficult for the HVAC system to provide sufficient air circulation and heat evenly. If the filter is too dirty, it can restrict the airflow so much that air begins getting sucked in through other places. This can lead to more dust and debris getting drawn into the ductwork and then circulating around the house.

Call Us Today to Assist With Your IAQ Needs

If you want to install a whole-home humidifier in Brighton, MI, or are searching for other IAQ solutions, the experienced team at Dominion Service Company is ready to help. From maintenance to HVAC upgrades, we have what it takes to keep your family healthy, happy, and comfortable. To schedule service or an IAQ consultation, contact us today.