GreenSavers is the only B Corp certified contractor offering comprehensive indoor air quality services in Portland and Bend, Oregon. Start by sending us a message. Satisfaction guaranteed.
In general, it’s best to start by creating a clear separation between the air inside your home and the outdoor air, which carries wildfire smoke in the fall and allergens in the spring. If you still notice issues with indoor air quality, take steps to filter the air and make your home a refuge. Give us a call at 541.330.8767 to talk about your home
Especially when wildfires are burning in Oregon, the most important thing you can do is create a clear separation between the air inside and outside of your home. On a practical level, this means shutting windows and doors and being intentional about when you enter and leave your home. If you have time to prepare, here’s what to do.
Air leaks let smoke, allergens, moisture, and other pollutants into your home. Sealing air leaks is one of the most cost effective things you can do to both protect your indoor air quality and reduce your monthly energy bills.
For example, if we find a leaky window or door, we add weatherstripping to create a seal and keep the outdoor air out. We also use a two-part spray foam to seal air gaps where plumbing, ducting, or electrical wiring comes through walls, floors, ceilings, and soffits over cabinets.
When we seal air leaks in a home, the point isn’t to make it as tight as possible. Our goal is to hit an optimum level of air sealing. We want your home to be tight enough that you’re not letting drafts and pollutants into your home, but not so tight that you create issues with mold, mildew, or other indoor air quality concerns.
If you use window air conditioners, consider installing a heat pump system. One of the main concerns with window AC units is that they let a significant amount of outdoor air into your home. When wildfire smoke is in the air, this can quickly contaminate the air in your home.
Upgrading to a heat pump allows you to keep your windows closed and preserve a clear separation between the inside and outside of your home. What’s more, you get continuous air filtration when you hire GreenSavers to install your heat pump.
A heat pump runs consistently, filtering the air in your home through a high performance filter 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You get cleaner air and more even temperatures while lowering your energy bills and reliance on fossil fuels. Start by giving us a call at 541.526.7845, or schedule an appointment with one of our consultants.
It’s really important to filter and clean the air in your home. First make sure you have the right size and type of air filter, then as needed, take additional steps to circulate and remove contaminants in your indoor air.
If you wait until wildfire season, you could end up waiting weeks to get your new air filter. Take a few minutes now to order an extra filter. You’ll thank yourself when the smoke starts.
Most high efficiency furnace filters come in the following sizes: 16″ x 20″ x 4”, 20″ x 25″ x 4”, and 16″ x 25″ x 4”. Start by turning off your HVAC system, then opening up your filter cabinet. Do you see three numbers on the side of your furnace filter? Does the filter fit snuggly in its cabinet? If so, then you’re good to go. Use the three numbers on the side of your air filter to order another of the same size.
Please note! Not all nominal filters sizes are the same actual size. For example, a Filtrete / 3M filter listed as 20” x 20” x 4” actually measures 19.88” x 19.88” x 4.31”; the Honeywell filtered labeled 20” x 20” x 4” is actually 19.93" x 19.75" x 4.38". Fractions of an inch may not seem consequential, but they make a big difference when we're talking about effective filtration. Try to get the most complete coverage you can.
The Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating measures how effectively a filter does its job. MERV ratings run from 1 (the least filtration) to 20 (the most filtration).
For an everyday furnace filter, we typically recommend a MERV 11 for our clients. A MERV 11 filter strikes the right balance between cost and performance.
But for wildfire season, you should order a furnace filter with more filtration. MERV 13 to 16 filters will reduce reduce indoor particulates as much as 95%.
Filters with activated carbon (also called activated charcoal) do a better job of removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odors, and gaseous pollutants like wildfire smoke. Carbon air filters trap gaseous molecules on a bed of charcoal, rather than letting them enter your home.
Here’s an example of a MERV 13 activated carbon HVAC filter for wildfire smoke. Please note that this particular filter is 20″ x 25″ x 4.” Whichever filter you choose, be sure to order the right size.
If you have a cooling system, like central air conditioning, a heat pump, or a ductless heat pump, simply use your system as you normally would. By default, these systems re-circulate air in the home, so they filter air without pulling in additional particulates from outdoors.
If you have a heating system, like a gas furnace, or a cooling system that you're not currently using, we recommend turning the fan on at your thermostat. This will re-circulate air and help to filter out particulates.
For an added layer of indoor air filtration, consider going with a whole-home air filter like the AprilAire 5000.
AprilAire Model 5000 Whole-Home Electrostatic Air Purifier (light gray box in the upper left corner) combined with a Mitsubishi ducted heat pump (dark gray box in the bottom right corner)
The AprilAire 5000 operates invisibly 24-hours a day or on demand.
A few features of the whole-home air purifiers we install:
95% removal of smoke and smog sized particles
99% removal of airborne virus-sized particles, airborne pollen, mold, and spore-sized particles less than a micron in size - up to 120 times smaller than a human hair
Improves energy savings and extends the life of your HVAC system by keeping the system clean
GreenSavers HVAC technician installs a Broan ERV (energy recovery ventilator) for a homeowner in Bend, Oregon.
How does air enter your home? If your home sits on a crawlspace, about 50% of the air that you breath on the first floor originated down in the crawlspace (source).
You can do better than that. The next step to improve indoor air quality is to take control of where air enters your home by installing an energy recovery ventilator or ERV.
An ERV replaces stale air in your home with fresh, filtered air while transferring both heat and moisture to maintain the optimal temperature and humidity.
Start by sending us a message, or call 541.330.8767 to find the best indoor air quality services for your home in Portland or Bend, Oregon. Every GreenSavers project comes with a satisfaction guarantee.
