4 Reasons to Replace Your Home’s Air Filter

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) filters and the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield have a lot in common. They both can tout, “I don’t get no respect!” Most people do not realize how pivotal the HVAC air filter is to both their homes and their HVAC systems.

Respect Yourself, and Your Air Filter

Here in South Carolina, you may think about your filter only when the seasons change, particularly transitioning from the warmer temperatures of summer to the cooler temps of fall, but filters need more attention than that all year long. Both our Coastal Air + Refrigeration HVAC professionals and ENERGY STAR ® recommend replacing your filter as frequently as every month, but at the very least every three months. Here’s why.

1. Keeps Your Indoor Air Quality High

The purity of the air you breathe inside your home, your indoor air quality (IAQ), is not always high. By changing your filter on a monthly basis, you can improve it. Here are a couple worthwhile statistics to know.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Americans now spend as much as 90 percent of their time indoors. And according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), our indoor air is two to five times as toxic as our outdoor air. 

These indoor pollutants cause or can worsen allergies and respiratory illnesses, such as asthma, as well as other long-term conditions and diseases like heart disease and cancer. In other words, keeping the air you breathe in your Conway home as clean as possible should be a priority. Change your HVAC filter monthly to help keep those toxic particles out of your lungs.

2. Increases the Efficiency of Your System

By changing your filter on a regular basis, you can help increase the efficiency of your HVAC system. A dirty filter is a common reason for breakdowns due to overworking furnaces and air conditioners. 

With a clogged filter, the air can’t get through, causing the system and its motor to work harder and run longer. When everything has to work harder and longer than designed, it causes system stress and decreases your system’s efficiency. So keep it running smoothly with regular filter changes.

3. Saves You Money 

Despite the argument that changing your filter on a monthly basis costs you more money, in actuality, regularly changing your filter can save you money. By giving your HVAC system clean filters, your system does not have to work as hard to heat or cool your Conway home. Less stress on your system’s components extends their life making them less likely to need premature replacement.

4. Leaves a Green Footprint

Being a good steward of Mother Earth and all her resources is more important than ever. When your filter is dirty and causing your system to work harder—since it is stressed—using more energy. These days, HVAC systems are designed to run efficiently, in an eco-friendly manner, so you will be doing your part simply by changing your filter.