It’s not something we urban dwellers living close to the 49th parallel have had to worry about too often, but 2023 was a wake-up call for many Canadians who thought they were immune from the impact of wildfires. In fact, last year Canada had its worst wildfire season ever, with 17,203,625 hectares burned from coast to coast – an area larger than the country of Greece.
Guelph residents were amongst the many Ontario residents who experienced the hazy skies and poor air quality resulting from smoke drifting into the area from the north and east. For many concerned about the air quality they were breathing inside and outside of their home, it meant reaching out to companies like Hy-Mark Home Comfort to determine ways to mitigate the impact caused by wildfires.
“What we did for our customers last year was to offer different ways to filter the air in their home, whether it be through a combination of ultraviolet lights or filters with a high Merv (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) rating,” said Mark Pooles, General Manager of Hy-Mark Home Comfort in Guelph. “We also offered a system called a Pure Air Kit that removed 99.8 percent of pollutants including smoke. What it provides is what they call hospital quality air. That was a huge benefit to homeowners.”
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s (ECCC) meteorologists continue to predict weather conditions for summer 2024 that could lead to greater wildfire risks. Wildfires are increasingly large-scale events that threaten the health, safety, and economic stability of Canadians coast to coast. Latest projections for the 2024 seasonal wildland fire forecast indicate the wildfire risk in Canada is expected to remain high over the coming months, particularly in regions that continue to experience intense drought. Add in the occasional “heat dome” like the one Ontario experience in June, and it becomes a good idea to call Hy-Mark Home Comfort to discuss your options.
“The Pure Air System will remove any airborne particles travelling through your ducts,” said Pooles. “Whether you’re running your furnace fan or your air conditioning you’re moving the volume of air in your home through the filter several times an hour. Anything that is part of that airstream will be cleaned as it goes through the system.”
Adding external components to your HVAC system designed to filter your air from smoke and contaminates is a smart idea, especially if you are living with kids, seniors, or anyone with compromised breathing from allergies, asthma, or COPD.
“People often hear of things like HEPA filtration,” said Pooles. “This system is a few steps above that in terms of resulting air quality.”
It may be surprising, but the fact is the air quality inside many Canadian homes is often worse inside than it is outside. New homes are built with “tighter” construction methods, with high quality windows, doors, and insulation minimizing the natural airflow inside the home. Extreme heat and cold in winter and summer limits the amount of time people actually open their windows to let outside air in. Add to that the dander, dust, and airborne particulates from pets, cooking, incense and other activities that add airborne particles and you can see why it’s important to enhance your HVAC system with components designed to improve your air quality.
“Homes don’t breathe anymore,” said Pooles. “It’s why we rely on technology like heat recovery ventilators (HRV) or energy recovery ventilation (ERV) to move air.”
Hy-Mark Home Comfort offers many options to help maximize the efficiency of your HVAC system while helping to improve the air you breathe. Look for them online here.
This article was sponsored by Hy-Mark Home Comfort, a 2023 GuelphToday Reader Favourite.