Your Villa Magazine - Riverside - May - June 2022

Improving your home’s air quality As many Americans have traded their work commute for a home o΀ce, interest has focused on creating more comfortable remote worNspaces (rgonomic furniture, acoustic soundboards and high- speed broadband technology are a few investments designed to make working at home more comfortable. But an overlooked opportunity for improving comfort exists in every room: a home’s air. Temperature and particulates in indoor air can all threaten comfort. And given that the average person spends of their life indoors, the quality of a home’s air isn’t regulated to working hours. Following are four ways to improve your home’s air quality. 1) Get your ducts in order. While today’s HVAC systems are highly e΀cient, eYen the most advanced heating or cooling technology will not deliver its full value if attic ductwork is compromised. EnergyStar reports that an average home loses up to 30% of the air that moves through its duct system due to leaNs, holes and poorly connected ducts. 1 2) Assure adequate attic insulation. More than 90% of homes are under-insulated, falling short of current DOE guidelines for energy e΀ciency 2 Attic insulation proYides an eͿectiYe resistance to the Áow of heat from warm into cool parts of a home. Adequate levels of insulation can help keep hot attic air from infiltrating the conditioned area of a home in summer; and restrict heated air from entering the attic in winter. 3) Practice good HVAC hygiene. Change your furnace filter according to the manufacturer·s directions and visually inspect your filter monthly ,f the furnace filter is coYered with dust, changing the filter is a good idea eYen if it has not reached the end of its anticipated lifespan. Not only will this support home comfort, changing the furnace filter regularly will result in less wear and tear on HVAC equipment. 4) Look for warning signs. Debris around a register or increased dust in the home can indicate an +9$& problem 6imilarly, higher energy bills are a sign that air may be escaping due to holes in a home’s ductwork. Mentioning these issues during routine service visits can help trouble-shoot issues that threaten comfort and energy e΀ciency References 1 Source: EnergyStar. www.energystar.gov/ campaign/heating_cooling/duct_sealing 2 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2018, July 16) Indoor Air Quality. Retrieved February 21, 2019 from www.epa.gov/ report-environment/indoor-air-quality. D E S I G N + B U I L D BrandPointContent.com edited by YourVilla StaŽ 951-961-8864 www.paramountlandscapeinc.com Licensed | C-27 License #926661 PARAMOUNT LANDSCAPE & IRRIGATION INC. LANDSCAPE Landscape Design & Installation Irrigation Installation & Repair Landscape/Mow Curb Installation Premium Synthetic Turf HARDSCAPE AND MASONRY Concrete | Pavers | Flagstone Retaining Walls LIGHTING Pathway | Planters | Trees Zac Reish IMPROVING YOUR POINT OF VIEW! SOFTSCAPE & IRRIGATION SPECIALISTS 16 | YourVilla Magazine