Advanced Air Quality Services: How UV Lights Benefit Your HVAC System
If you’re looking for a way to improve your home’s air quality, you should consider advanced air quality services. These services can help remove harmful particles from the air and improve your indoor environment.
One of the most popular methods for achieving this is using UV lights in your HVAC system. This blog post will discuss the benefits of using UV lights in your HVAC system and how they can improve your home’s air quality.
What Are UV Lights?
First and foremost, before you can understand the benefits of installing UV lights in your HVAC system, you need to know what UV lights are. UV lights are short-wavelength light waves that can kill bacteria, viruses, and other harmful microorganisms. In reality, it’s best to keep these lights away from any areas where people or pets will be exposed to them. These lights are often used in hospitals and other medical facilities to sterilize equipment and keep patients safe. However, you can also use them to improve the air quality in your home. Generally, these lights are installed inside your furnace, air conditioner, heat pumps, and ductwork. In addition, their job is to disinfect the air as it circulates through your home, keeping mold, mildew, and allergens from entering your home and into your lungs.
Types of Benefits Of UV Lights
When HVAC companies consider installing a UV light system in your unit, a few benefits have far-reaching effects. Generally, UV lights can provide three main advantages for homes, businesses, and the economy. First, UV-C lights will benefit Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), HVAC system efficiency, and economic impacts.
Indoor Air Quality
The first and most common benefit is improving your indoor air quality. Having a UV light system will help reduce the number of contaminants in your air. In addition, these lights will kill pathogens in the air and deal with any unpleasant odors that may build up over time. Overall, these benefits will increase your comfort level and reduce the time you’re sick due to respiratory illness.
HVAC System Efficiency
Another significant benefit of having a UV light system is the improvement of your HVAC system’s efficiency. As we stated before, when organic matter builds up on surfaces, it will reduce airflow and the heat-transfer levels of cooling coils. In addition, a UV light will kill mold spores, bacteria, and viruses as they travel through your ductwork. As a result, organic matter from these sources will not build up on coils, drain pans, or ductwork surfaces. Overall, this will improve general airflow and returns and maintain the cooling coils’ heat-transfer levels to manufacturer specifications.
Economical Impacts
The last type of benefit comes with the economic impacts of having a UV light system. When your HVAC system is not working as efficiently as it should, your energy bills will be higher. In addition, by having a UV light system, you will see a significant reduction in the need for HVAC repairs. Reducing the amount of organic matter that builds up on surfaces will decrease the frequency of repairs and increase overall customer satisfaction. In short, by having a UV light system, you can improve your home’s air quality and reduce energy consumption, energy cost, and carbon footprint. At the same time, HVAC companies will receive fewer complaints related to downtime. This can also reduce the need for chemical and mechanical cleaning of HVAC equipment. In addition, UV-C reduces your HVAC system’s energy usage by 10%-25%.
Other Ways UV Lights Benefit Your HVAC System?
The company will engineer its characteristics based on several aspects to ensure that your HVAC system benefits you as much as possible. These factors are how much UV-C energy is needed, how many lamps will be required and how they should be installed, and what type of lamp/ballast characteristics are necessary for the job. Another of the main benefits of installing UV lights in your HVAC system is that it will disinfect the air better than other options. For instance, a UV light will kill as much as 99% of mold spores, bacteria, and viruses as they travel through your ductwork. However, options like chemical biocides can only kill 50% of these contaminants.
Where Do Installers Usually Put UV Lights?
The most common place to install UV lights is in the central air handler near the cooling coils. The primary air handler is where your HVAC system’s air is recirculated. As a result, the UV light will have more contact with contaminants and be able to kill them more efficiently. However, some installers will put the UV light in the ductwork near the furnace, where many pollutants can build up.
What Are The Potential Disadvantages Of UV Lights?
One potential disadvantage of UV lights is that they can be dangerous if you are exposed to them for too long. These lights emit UV-C radiation, which can harm your skin and eyes. As a result, it is crucial that you do not look directly at the UV light and that you do not stay in the same room as the UV light for too long. Another potential disadvantage of UV lights is that they can be expensive. They require a specialized ballast and lamp, which can be challenging to find. In addition, the installation of UV lights can be complex, which can add to the cost. They will also eventually wear out, and extended usage will reduce their disinfecting quality; a technician will need to replace them every year.
Professional Installation By Rock Valley Services
Overall, UV lights are a great way to improve the air quality in your home and reduce the need for HVAC repairs. If you are interested in installing UV lights in your home, we recommend contacting Rock Valley Services. Rock Valley Services is a family-run business dedicated to providing the best possible service to its customers in the Janesville area since 2003. The company offers a wide range of services, including HVAC repair, maintenance, replacement, and installation. In addition, the company offers upfront pricing and technicians with the latest knowledge and expertise, guaranteeing your satisfaction. So if you are looking for a way to improve the air quality in your home, Rock Valley Services is the company you want to call. Contact them today to schedule a consultation.