In a resource on the Camfil Canada blog, air quality expert Jon Holmes highlighted the importance of changing HVAC air filters to a building's efficiency and the comfort of its occupants. Unfortunately, according to Holmes, building operators may not be getting the best value from their air filter purchases.
"Many times, building operators aren't getting the best value for their filter spend because air filters are either changed too soon, resulting in increased labour and filter costs, or some overextend the filter's life to save filter dollars but pay an energy penalty to do so," Holmes explained in detail.
Two common, yet unreliable, measures are being considered by techs when changing HVAC air filters. According to Holmes, the first is changing them when they “look dirty.”
"All too often, filters are changed prematurely because the filter ‘looks dirty,’ but many still have service life left. As a comparison, fast lube shops show customers the outside of the car's air filter to upsell a replacement, but the dirty upstream side of a filter is a poor indicator of when to change it," Holmes explained.
Holmes said pressure drop is the most accurate indicator that a filter needs to be changed.
"If any visual metric is to be used, the filter's downstream (clean air) side should be the only visual cue, but pressure drop (or resistance to airflow, as measured in inches water column -WC or Pascals) is the most accurate way to determine filter performance and life expectancy properly. As long as a filter maintains its MERV-A efficiency, air quality does NOT improve with more frequent air filter changes."
On the other hand, Holmes said that if not based on visual interpretations or time, changing air filters depends on the end goal.
"It depends on the end goal – energy or time savings? The first step is to either get a pressure differential gauge or ensure existing ones are in working order," Holmes explained.
More details about HVAC air filter maintenance can be found in this blog post.
Contact Camfil Canada's Toronto air filtration experts for professional clean air solutions.
Source: WHEN AND WHY SHOULD I CHANGE MY HVAC AIR FILTER?
Media Contact:
Phillip Ilijevski
Camfil Canada Inc.
T: 437-929-1161
Source: Camfil - Canada
Published by: Berni Baier Marketing
Source: Camfil - Canada
Release ID: 845655