Your home’s heating and cooling system relies on the air filter in order to run smoothly. While your system can likely accommodate a variety of filters with varying efficiency ratings, there are many advantages of choosing a higher-efficiency air filter.
Benefits of a Higher-Efficiency Air Filter
The most obvious benefit is that an air filter that captures more airborne particles will improve the efficiency of your HVAC system. Other benefits include lower repair and maintenance costs, as a result of having a cleaner and more smoothly operating heating and cooling system.
Another benefit that should not be ignored is improved indoor air quality. A more efficient air filter can remove more and smaller contaminants in the air that could threaten your health if they circulated throughout your home.
Cost of a Higher-Efficiency Air Filter
In general, a more efficient air filter will cost you more than a less-efficient one upfront, though the cost difference is trivial when compared to the benefits you’ll get from a filter that does a better job of protecting system components and cleaning your indoor air.
Depending on the level of dust and dirt in your home’s air, and other factors, you’ll likely have to replace the filter every one to three months. However, you should be inspecting it monthly and replacing it when it looks dirty.
Will a More Efficient Filter Save You Money?
Since the savings from having a more efficient filter come from the reduced energy used by your HVAC system, overall savings mainly will be determined by how often you use your heating and cooling equipment. A higher-efficiency filter paired with a furnace in northern Michigan, for example, is going to bring substantial energy savings. The savings in southwest Illinois, with our cold winters, will be meaningful, too.
Wherever you live, it won’t take long to save enough to justify buying the more efficient filter. An HVAC professional should be able to advise you on the best filter for your furnace and home.
If you have any questions about which air filter is right for your Greenville, Troy or Alton area home, please contact us at Ernst Heating & Cooling.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Hamel, Alton, Glen Carbon, Highland, Greenville, and Troy, Illinois and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Â