Curb your allergy symptoms this spring!

Last week, we mentioned a few ways you can improve the quality of your indoor air.  This week, we will go over those steps in depth.

Source Control

The starting point for a home indoor air quality strategy is source control.  It makes sense, if you can control a pollutant before it becomes airborne — you’re ahead of the game.  Source control strategies include the use of low emission paints, varnishes, carpeting, no smoking, no inside pets, maintaining optimum humidity levels, with regular cleaning, and servicing of combustion appliances, such as furnaces.  Unfortunately, you cannot always control pollutant sources.
 

Use your air conditioner to control humidity for the spring and summer months and a duct mounted humidifier in the winter.  Get your air conditioner serviced every spring and your furnace serviced every fall.  The most economical approach to maintenance is a Preventive Maintenance Agreement.

Ventilation

Fresh air ventilation is a close second in air standards according to the EPA, the air inside your 
home is far worse than outside air.  Even during allergy season?  Possibly.

Fortunately, there is a solution that improves fresh ventilation without compromising comfort or energy costs.  It’s called an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV).  It exchanges stale, polluted indoor air with fresh air and cleans the incoming air.  The ERV captures roughly 85% of the heating or cooling energy from the indoor air.  Not only can it improve air quality, it can actually reduce utilities in certain circumstances.

Air Cleaning

The third way to fight indoor air pollution is air cleaning.  Do not buy the cheap tabletop and gadget air cleaners you hear advertised.  They are a waste of money.  According to an American Lung Association® report, “The reviewed data provide little reason to endorse the use of inexpensive tabletop, appliance-type air cleaners, regardless of the technology they employ. In general, high-efficiency particle collection requires larger filters or electronic air cleaners.”

We recommend a whole-house approach with a duct mounted UV light and either a HEPA filtration system or an electronic air cleaner.  What’s appropriate for your home depends on your budget, comfort system, and family.

At Elite Service Company, we may not be medical doctors, but we are air doctors.  We know air.  We know filtration.  We know ventilation.  And we know service.  We can assemble an indoor air package that fits your family and budget. 

The food your family eats is regulated and inspected.  The water your family drinks is tested and treated.  Yet, when it comes to the air your family breathes, it’s all up to you. 

When you can’t breathe, nothing else matters! 


Call Elite today to book any services listed above!  918.610.7300

Allergy season strikes again!

Ah, Spring.  The weather is turning.  The grass is growing.  The flowers are blooming…and so are your allergies!

For a quarter of the population, this is not Spring--it’s allergy season.   It’s the season of red and itchy eyes, sneezes and runny noses, wheezing, congestion, shortness of breath, headaches, drowsiness, and all around misery.

People with allergies inhale pollen, dust, dust mites, animal dander, and other nasty stuff that fills the air.  Breathing these impurities can trigger the release of histamine—a neuro-transmitter that is produced when an allergic reaction occurrs.  Histamine causes nasal tissues to swell and mucous to build as your body becomes a battlegroud. 

I’ll just stay indoors…

Unfortunately, shutting yourself inside on a beautiful spring day is not the answer to conquering your allergies.  After all, indoor air pollutants are all around us.  They include pollen, molds, fungal spores, viruses, bacteria, smoke, gas combustion by-products, outgassing from carpets, furniture, plywood, and drywall, cleaning supplies and other personal care items, pet dander, dust mites (their feces and body fragments) cockroach body parts, and more.  Blech! 

Allergy Management

Aside from taking antihistamine medication, what can you do?

The only solution for allergy sufferers is to avoid the allergens that cause the reaction.  I know you’re rolling your eyes, thinking, “Easier said than done, lady!”

The following are a few simple steps to prevent your allergies from ruling your life this spring:

·        Keep your windows closed at night 

·        Run the air conditioner to dehumidify your home 

·        Drive with your car windows rolled up. 

·        Shower when coming in from the outdoors to wash away the pollen and mold that     collects on your skin, clothes, and hair

·        Clear out cobwebs from high ceiling corners.

·        Flip your mattress

·        Vacuum your mattress and boxspring

·        Take down drapes and curtains for cleaning

·        Vacuum all sofa and chair cushions and coverings

·        Move furniture and vacuum underneath

·        Use a paper mask when performing yard work
 

Improving conditions indoors

John L. Kirkwood, President and CEO of the American Lung Association® says, “Keeping the air in your home clean is particularly important for people with asthma or allergies, but the quality of indoor air is something all Americans should be concerned about.”

There are three ways to fight indoor air pollution: 

·        Source Control

·        Ventilation

·        Air Cleaning

Over the next few weeks, we are going to provide you with tips to escape the misery of allergy season, while helping you improve the quality of your indoor air.

Tips on reducing your energy consumption (part 4)

Welcome to the final installment of Elite's energy tips!  We've discussed things you can do to reduce your energy usage at home and services you can schedule to correct energy leaks.  We've reached the end of the road.  What do you do when there are no other changes you can make, and your energy bills are still astronomical?

Upgrade your equipment

The biggest savings come from replacing old equipment.  Heating and air condition equipment is two to three times more efficient than a couple of decades ago, depending on the type of equipment.  This means that your can dramatically reduce the cost of heating and cooling your home, simply by upgrading equipment and making your home more comfortable in the process.
Upgrading your equipment does require an investment, but it is less than you might think.  The energy savings usually offset the monthly payments.  Depending upon the age and condition of your existing equipment, you could easily end up with more money in your pocket at the end of the month by upgrading.
You can either pay the utility, or you can invest in an upgrade.  The utility will keep wanting more and more with nothing tangible to show; on the other hand, upgrading your equipment will improve your home’s comfort and continue saving you money long after the equipment is paid off.

To schedule an estimate with Joel or Lowell, call 918.610.7300!

Tips to reduce energy consumption (part 3)

Here it is!  The long awaited third installment of our energy reduction tips!

Preventive maintenance

Your heating and cooling system needs regular maintenance to operate at peak performance.  Consider the benefits of a preventive maintenance agreement.

·        You’ll save money.  A poorly tuned a/c or heating unit wastes both energy and your money.  In fact, by having a system cleaned and maintained professionally, you can save an average of $32 a month on your summer cooling bills.

·        Preventive maintenance can help prevent future emergencies.  Regular maintenance can detect minor heating and air conditioning problems before they turn into major system failures.  Since replacing a compressor can be costly, a small investment in regular tune-ups can mean big savings in the future.

·        Equipment lasts longer.  Operating your a/c during the summer months is like driving a car about 40,000 miles at 30mph.  Without regular maintenance and cleaning, your systems part and major components can break down under this heavy work load.  A well-maintained system lasts longer.

Humidification

Tight houses help conserve energy in the summer.  During the colder months, however, the savings can be counteracted by low humidity.  As the temperature rises, air can hold more moisture.  Heat your home in the winter and the air draws moisture like a sponge.  This causes the moisture on your skin to evaporate immediately, creating a cooling sensation.    By introducing supplemental moisture to the air, humidity is raised and comfort increases despite a lower winter thermostat setting.  Proper humidity saves energy because people feel comfortable with a lower thermostat setting. 
While tabletop humidifiers abound, the best solution an automatic whole-house duct mounted humidifier.  These products sense the humidity in the home and add moisture directly to the air stream as needed.  You can set it and forget it.