Featuring Dave Gosling
Vice President of Field Operations, Enercare
It’s more important than ever to make sure that our living spaces are well-ventilated, and these three products can help improve your home’s air quality.
This year, building a healthy and safe home environment has become increasingly important. When thinking about home health and safety, we often think of tangible things like water filters or home security systems, overlooking the crucial aspect of indoor air quality. While we can choose to turn down food that we feel isn’t safe to eat, we can’t choose to not breathe in a room.
Studies show that there are higher concentrations of pollutants indoors than outdoors, especially in places with continuous exposure — like our homes, offices, and schools. With many of us spending more time indoors, it’s more important than ever to make sure that our spaces are well-ventilated.
The average adult inhales and exhales about 7–8 litres of air per minute — about 11,000 litres of air per day. So, which products should you consider to improve indoor air quality in your home? Dave Gosling, Vice President of Field Operations at Enercare, says that effective home air ventilation comes down to three key functions: filtration, purification, and exchange.
HEPA filtration system
Traditionally used in hospitals, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems use the existing ductwork to deliver clean air to every room and are crucial to prevent bacteria and viruses from spreading among family members. HEPA systems also remove particulates including tobacco smoke, dust, bacteria, viruses, and cooking smoke.
“A filter works similarly to the face masks that we’re all wearing. As air passes through these dense filters, it traps and removes particles that are as small as bacteria and viruses,” Gosling explains.
UV air purifier
An air purifier is installed as part of a home’s central heating and cooling system. Ultraviolet (UV) light air purifiers use safe short-wave UV light to effectively sterilize the air and inactivate pathogens that pass through it. It also reduces or eliminates odours and toxic chemical vapours, as well as mould, bacteria, and allergens. “UV light technology is a known disinfectant and has been used effectively for decades to reduce the spread of bacteria like tuberculosis,” says Gosling.
And, in an unprecedented year, Gosling adds that UV light has proven to possess an unprecedented advantage: “A recent study tested a model of air purifiers and found that UV light inactivates the virus that causes COVID-19.”
Air exchanger with a heat recovery ventilator (HRV)
An air exchanger is like the lungs of your home. It continuously breathes in fresh outdoor air and exhales stale air. Homes are built to be airtight, so the air indoors accumulates moisture and pollutants created from our daily activities. The installation of an air exchanger replaces stale indoor air with fresh clean air, helping prevent moisture build-up, toxic mould, and rot. During the heating season, an air exchanger expels excess humidity, preventing potential health problems and moisture damage to windows and walls.
Proudly Canadian-owned and operated, Enercare is a leading provider of water heaters, water treatment, furnaces, air conditioners, and more. Ensure your family’s breathing the cleanest possible air at home with their Safer Air Solutions. They reduce microorganisms, filter and purify air, remove contaminants, and circulate air effectively — everything your family needs.
