Howdy folks? It's been a hazy day in the South East Asia region, especially Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. This phenomenon is caused by the forest fire in Indonesia. It actually did hit above 200 for the Air Pollution Index at one time. We have to actually wear a protective mask to filter the smoke from entering our lungs.
At the same time, the sales of air purifier have also shot up tremendously due to this air quality problem. But the consumers need to know which air purifier to buy and which to avoid. I will share not on the specific air purifier that gives out a better air quality but I will share on which types of air purifier is energy efficient and provide long-term investment for the homes or office buildings.
How Does It Work?
Although they may seem like a new innovation, air purifiers have been around for more than 200 years. What started as protective masks for fireman, air purifiers have now evolved the ability to protect you and your family from airborne pollutants.
As allergies and asthma now affect more than 50 million of people around the world, the concern for safe indoor air quality has rapidly increased. Allergens like smoke, mold spores, pollen, bacteria, viruses, pet dander, and other pollutants damage your lungs and immune system. Unfortunately, most of these irritants cannot be seen by the naked eye. Air purifiers filter allergens and pollutants seen or unseen by the human eye. To remove these objects, air purifiers typically use filters, electrical attraction, or ozone.
Air filters utilize fine sieves that filter particles from circulating air. As air flows into the air purifier, the finer the sieve used, the smaller the particles it traps. The accepted benchmark for air filters has been set by the High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, which are guaranteed to trap 99.97% of airborne particles larger than 0.3 microns. Microns are the standard unit used for measuring air particles. Each micron is equivalent to 1/25,400 of an inch. The naked eye cannot see anything smaller than 10 microns, so pollutants like bacteria and viruses escape detection. Room air conditioner filters only capture particles 10.0 microns or larger. HEPA filters remove smaller allergens like dust, smoke, chemicals, asbestos, pollen, and pet dander.
The more times the air passes through the HEPA filter, the cleaner the air becomes. The room capacity of a HEPA air purifier will determine whether the air cleaner can handle your air purifying needs.
In addition to the HEPA filter, there's an optional medical grade ultra-violet (UV) light system, used to quickly kill viruses, bacteria, and fungi upon entry into the air purifier. UV light also protects the HEPA filter from biological and viral contamination.
Electrical attraction is another technology utilized by air purifiers to trap particles. Three types of air cleaners work using electrical attraction: electrostatic precipitating cleaners, electret filters, and negative ion generators.
Electrostatic precipitating cleaners or electronic air purifiers draw particles in by fan and charge them with a series of high-voltage wires. Several plates (precipitating cells) carry the opposite electrical charge and attract the contaminants as they pass by the plates. Electronic air purifiers are perfect for individuals who don't want to worry about the costly replacements of HEPA filters. The downside to these units is that many create a nasty byproduct, ozone.
Electret filters in air purifiers use synthetic fibers that create static charges to attract particles. Electret filters are offered in a variety of types including plain, pleated, disposable or reusable. Depending on the type of filter you need, will determine how often the filter requires replacement.
Negative ion generators or ionic air purifiers use tiny, charged wires or needles to create gas molecules with negative charges or ions that adhere to the airborne particles and collect in the filter. However, many ions end up back in the air, sticking to furnishings and other surfaces that may be stained by them.
Ionic air purifiers only remove certain types of particles and aren't always effective against gases, chemicals, or odors. Some ionic air purifiers have been shown to re-circulate the same dirty particles that they draw in, making them much less effective than traditional air purifiers using HEPA filtration.
Types Of Air Purifier
It may come as no surprise to see that air purifiers come in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors. What’s more important to notice, though, is not all air purifiers work the same. In fact, different types of air purifiers employ different technologies when cleansing the air you breathe.
It is vital to know and understand how each of these technologies work, so you can be sure to choose the right air purifier for your specific needs. Of course you will also need to know which air purifier is working efficiently with the energy consumption.
Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) is a measure of the amount of contaminant-free air delivered by the room air cleaner. When considering the purchase of an energy efficient room air cleaner, the comparison should not solely be based on CADR. The CADR of a specific air cleaner model is affected by a number of factors included the size of the model; larger units often have higher CADRs.
First, find the AHAM suggested room size noted prominently in the label. This suggested sizing should match the size of the room you are trying to clean. Next, compare CADR numbers from manufacturer to manufacturer and from air cleaner to air cleaner. Higher ratings for the dust, tobacco smoke and pollen CADR numbers indicate that the unit will filter the air faster than a unit with lower ratings. If the ratings are same from one unit to the other, then the air filtering performance is similar.
Return Of Investment
Room air purifiers - sometimes referred to as "room air cleaners" - are portable, electric appliances that remove fine particles, such as dust and pollen, from indoor air. A standard room air purifier, operating continuously, uses approximately 550 kWh per year in electricity. This is more than the energy used by some new refrigerators!
Energy efficient room air purifiers are 40% more energy-efficient than standard models, saving consumers about 225 kWh/year. These savings could add up to RM800 over its lifetime!
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