Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

HI February 2020

Healthy Indoors Magazine

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48 | February 2020 L ast time we started discussing a simple HVAC system that can deliver comfortable and healthy homes for most houses in most cli- mate zones - we call it BAD ASS HVAC. A brief refresh, BAD ASS HVAC (and all HVAC systems for that matter) should be able to deliver the 6 Functions of HVAC: • Load matching • Filtration • Dehumidification • Fresh air • Mixing • Humidification We also talked about how important load matching is to providing comfort in homes. An HVAC system that can "load match" can put out just the right amount of heating or cooling that the house needs at any given moment, which requires right sized multiple stage equipment. Finally, we discussed how MERV 11 filtration is the low- est level should be recommended. That is the lowest filter rating that does a good (but not great) job of removing the small particles (PM2.5) that go directly into our lungs. Why is all this important? Remember the car analogy? Most residential HVAC systems can't do any of these 6 functions well, while your car can do 5. We think that stinks, so we developed the BAD ASS concept to provide a simple path to solving it. Most HVAC Equipment Is Replaced In a Hurry Much of the root of home HVAC failure is that 87% of resi- dential HVAC systems are replaced on an emergency ba- sis. That means most systems are replaced under duress with little time to consider options. Typically, the cheapest system from the first contractor who can show up goes in. (I just want heat!) In our experience we have never seen the cheapest piece of equipment be able to effectively deliver the 6 Func- tions of HVAC. The only way to deliver the 6 functions is usually to replace the equipment again. That sucks. Sadly, it only takes a small amount of up-front education and planning to be able to deliver a much better equipment installation for our clients. Since the HVAC equipment invest- ment should last 15-20 years, it's important to get right. This By Nate Adams

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