When you think about controlling the weather inside your home, one of the most important factors is regularly changing your air filter. Air filters cost only a couple of dollars to replace. This is the easiest and most inexpensive thing you can do to improve air quality inside your home.
I’ll throw out a couple of stats to show how important a clean air filter is, especially at this time of year – when your AC system is blowing full blast.
- The EPA lists indoor air pollution as one of the Top 5 risks to overall health.
- Children inhale more air than adults and are more sensitive to poor air quality in the home.
- New homes aren’t exempt. The World Health Organization estimates 30% of new or remodeled homes have indoor air quality problems.
So how often should you change your filter? Right now, during the summer months, a good rule of thumb is to change it every month. (This green living blog has a good step by step video on how to change a filter.) But it’s also really important to monitor your filter. If you notice it’s dirty, change it. Don’t wait two more weeks because it hasn’t been a month yet.
If you need more help with indoor air quality, there are products you can buy. Right now, the Guardian Air system is the best one on the market.
We’ll end with this – if clean air inside your home isn’t enough to get you to regularly replace your air filter, do it for the savings. A clean filter helps your AC run more efficiently – meaning it will use less energy.
Now you have multiple reasons to keep that filter clean!
Ben Hubbert
Ben is a retired Combat Controller with the United States Air Force. He started Champion AC in 2007. Ben is originally from the Mississippi Gulf Coast. He is happily married and an avid fan of the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Saints.
