A UV-light system can form an integral part of your home’s defenses against indoor pollutants and poor indoor air quality, both of which can lead to serious and chronic health problems over time. To understand how they work, you should begin by brushing up on your knowledge of ultraviolet light and see how it can be applied in your home to greatly minimize germs and organic contaminants. Light in the ultraviolet spectrum has a very short wavelength–so short, in fact, that it is imperceptible to the human eye. One of the major applications of ultraviolet light is that it has the ability to alter the DNA of organic microbes, rendering them unable to continue to produce the proteins they need to maintain strong bodies. When they are exposed to ultraviolet light, they don’t die immediately, but rather degrade over a relatively short period of time.

UV-light systems have been used in hospitals, health care clinics and other home and office environments that require a high level of sterility for many years. However, to be effective, they have to actually expose organic contaminants to the UV light waves, so if you want to install a UV-light system in your home, be sure to use it according to the manufacturer’s instructions for best results.

The air pollutants that UV-light systems get rid of are limited to organic compounds, including dust mites, bacteria, viruses and mold spores. They have no effect on contaminants like dust, and do nothing to eliminate secondhand smoke, odors or toxic gases. Thus, it is recommended that you supplement your use of germicidal UV lights with other proven indoor air quality strategies, including HEPA air filters, ceiling fans and, of course, fresh air from the outdoors.

Since 1983, we at Overland Park Heating & Cooling Inc. have been providing residents of the Kansas City area with a high level of service. If you’d like to take advantage of UV light technology in your home, or if you have any other HVAC-related questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us and one of our friendly customer service experts will gladly assist you.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Overland Park Heating & Cooling services Overland Park and surrounding areas in Kansas. To get started, check out our website or see our current specials.