How Is Your Indoor Air Quality Affected By Your A/C Filter Or Furnace Filter?

How can your air filter possibly be this terrible? Simple. If you have neglected to change it in past 60 to 90 days, it is costing you money and could be damaging your system and your health. A dirty, clogged air filter will devour money faster than rising gas prices. Every time your air conditioner or heater kicks on, your dirty filter is causing your air handler to burn more energy. A simple thing such as not changing your filter on a regular schedule can cost you hundreds to thousands of dollars a year!

Yes, it can be a hassle to find the right filter size, drive down to the hardware store, purchase a new filter for 8-15 dollars, and drive back home to install it. The trouble is that you forget and as you procrastinate your home comfort system just keeps on sucking dirt and devouring your money. Changing your filter is an irritating household chore that you must consistently do, but this 5 minute chore has a much greater affect on the condition of your family’s finances than any other chore on your to-do list.

Money aside, a dirty air filter is extremely serious. So serious that the United States Environmental Protection Agency released information warning that indoor air pollution may be 2 to 5 times higher, and occasionally more than 100 times higher, than outdoor levels. As a result, the EPA has ranked poor indoor air quality as one of the top five risks to public health. Considering that many of us spend 90% of our time indoors, that is alarming news. Apart from the inherent health risks of not changing your air filter/furnace filter, there is also a monetary risk at hand.

It is almost impossible to determine the exact cost of a dirty air filter because every home design and every comfort system is unique. However, you can roughly estimate the dollar value cost of dirty filters by performing a simple visual inspection of your filter and compare it to you monthly cooling bills.
In today's fast paced world it's easy to overlook changing your filters. Operating your equipment with plugged filters can raise your utility bills and even make your family sick.