Healthy Home Technology Improves Indoor Air Quality

The EPA reports that the average home’s indoor air quality is up to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air. Considering you spend up to 90% of your time inside, do you know how the effects are impacting you and your family? Stop breathing polluted air inside your home with Healthy Home Technology that Homes By Taber includes in every home we build.

The average American breathes in 3,000 gallons of air every day. That’s a lot to take in. So, what are you actually inhaling? You know about dust, tobacco, and pet hair. But what about bacteria, mold, allergens, and chemicals? Even scented candles are sending unhealthy toxins into your sweet-smelling air. Paints that are not low- or no-VOC contain harmful volatile organic compounds. Cleaning products emit harmful chemicals. Treated wood has formaldehyde. Carpets have toluene and benzene, which contribute to that “new carpet smell”. Sprays, stain protectors, adhesives, and artificial dyes may also be guilty of polluting your indoor air.

What’s the impact of these toxins? Headaches, dry eyes, nausea, congestion, fatigue, asthma, allergy symptoms, and respiratory illnesses, even cancer and heart disease can result from breathing unhealthy air. Oklahoma City is already included in the top 10 of worst cities for allergy sufferers, and approximately 415,000 Oklahoma residents suffer from asthma.

The construction advances have created an airtight seal, preventing leaks that waste energy—but also preventing the flow of clean air to enter the home.

At Homes By Taber, our Proudly Overbuilt mission also includes Healthy Home Technology. Why? Because you deserve to breathe clean air in your home. Our upgraded standard features include three main components: 

1. The whole home air filtration system cleans the air that circulates through your home, via the HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system. Dust, mold, pollen, bacteria, and other microscopic particles are captured in the filters preventing them from being recirculated. Filters are rated according to MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value). The higher the MERV rating, the better the filtration. Homes By Taber’s system uses a MERV 13 to more fully cleanse your home’s indoor air. This is the same rating as filters used in hospitals to purify the air. You may wonder if you can simply use this filter in another system, but the answer is no. The air filtration system is specifically built to hold these mega filters and cleanse the air in the home. 

2. Because homes are built so energy efficient and airtight, badly polluted air gets trapped inside. This is a major cause of poor indoor air quality. You definitely want fresh air coming into your home, but it should be controlled. A fresh air intake system dilutes the pollutants inside and provides balance while preventing too much of it to change your controlled interior temperature. This intake is a key part of maintaining your indoor air quality. Our system brings in the good air, in appropriate amounts, through a special vent. It then goes through the air filtration system and mixes with the air in your home. The fresh air intake system also balances the air pressure in your home, protecting against the loss of your inside warm or cool air.

3. Your kitchen hood has a vent to pull fumes and smoke outside, something that comes in handy when you suddenly have a splash of cooking oil on a hot stovetop. But where does that steamy, smoky, smelly air go? Some systems vents recirculate it back into the kitchen, like stirring the pot. At Homes By Taber, that just isn’t the right way to do it. We vent the hood outside through the roof. This choice removes more of the particles and smelly odors—including carbon monoxide—out of your home to keep it cleaner. 

Healthy Home Technology is critical to know the air in your home is safe and these systems shouldn’t be overlooked when shopping for a new home. 

“It’s not enough to build a beautiful home,” explains Taber LeBlanc. “As a builder, we also need to provide a safe, healthy environment as well.”

The list of standard features that go into our homes demonstrates our much higher standard. That’s Proudly Overbuilt in action and a clear reflection of our lasting commitment to homebuyers.

When you’re ready to purchase a new home, consider the value of ours. The health, design features, and energy efficiency contribute to a smart investment, and one that appreciates more than a resale home. With the current low interest rates, it’s a great time to explore our many communities of distinctive yet affordable single-family homes for sale in Oklahoma City and the surrounding suburbs. Get in touch with Frankie Lewis to restart your life in a healthier home.