HVAC Systems & Air Purifiers: How They Work Together

Do You Need an HVAC System? Discover What an HVAC System Is, How It Works & the Benefits of Installing It With an Air Purifier.

How Do HVAC Systems & Air Purifiers Work Together?

Do You Need an HVAC System? Discover What an HVAC System Is, How It Works & the Benefits of Installing It With an Air Purifier.
This article contains tops tips from our experts, backed by in-depth research.
Last Updated: 18 Apr 2025
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Hvac Systems And Air Purifiers

HVAC systems and air purifiers work together to create a healthy living environment for you.

Your HVAC system helps manage the temperature in your home or office, while an air purifier removes contaminants from the air that could affect your health.

We'll discuss how they work together and what each can do on its own to help improve indoor air quality.

But where to start?

As experts in our field, we discuss the following in this article:

    What Is HVAC System?

    HVAC1 is the acronym for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning.

    This system can be found in residential homes as well as commercial buildings like office spaces or factories.

    The HVAC system circulates conditioned air through your home or building to keep it within a specific temperature range that you set with thermostats in each room.

    HVAC systems also contain filtration components, which remove contaminants like dust and pollen from the air before they enter your living space.

    This can help improve indoor air quality by preventing allergens from spreading around inside your house.

    In addition, an oversized HVAC system will help circulate more fresh outside air into your home to replace stale, polluted indoor air with cleaner outdoor air for better overall airflow efficiency when combined with its filtration capabilities.

    How Do HVAC Systems Work?

    HVAC systems have three main components: a condensing unit, an evaporator coil, and a blower.

    The refrigerant2 in the HVAC system is used to transfer heat from one area to another.

    In the summer months, this helps cool your home or office by transferring warm air outside through the evaporation process of the cooling coils.

    The refrigerant is used to heat your home or office by moving heat from outside into indoor areas in the winter months.

    HVAC systems also have a filter that catches airborne particles like dust and pet dander before they enter your breathing space.

    This helps keep you healthy because many of these pollutants are allergens that can trigger asthma symptoms in some people and aggravate common allergy conditions such as runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing, etc.

    How Do HVAC Systems Affect Indoor Air Quality?

    HVAC systems can improve indoor air quality by filtering out airborne dust particles in your home.

    Some models have features like electrostatic filters that attract pollutants to their surface for easy removal.

    At the same time, other units contain high-quality HEPA or carbon monoxide3 filter components designed to remove common contaminants from the air when they are circulated through your living space.

    Individual room HVAC units can use charcoal filtration technology to trap odors and reduce gaseous chemicals caused by cooking in kitchens, smoking in family rooms, cleaning products used indoors, etc.

    This helps keep you healthy because many of these pollutants are highly toxic gases that pose serious health risks if inhaled over time.

    How Do Air Purifiers Work With HVAC Systems?

    When combined with an HVAC unit, air purifiers can help remove contaminants from your breathing space by trapping pollutants at the source of where they are produced.

    This is especially helpful when allergens like pollen or pet dander enter indoor areas through ventilation systems in homes and offices to make them airborne inside living spaces.

    Air purifier technology uses activated carbon filters for this process that removes odors caused by pets.

    While also containing HEPA-type4 components that trap common pollutants before they can be circulated into occupied rooms via heating or cooling ductwork.

    Electrostatic filter options work well too, because these technologies attract particles using static fields, so they don't become re-suspended back into the air you breathe after passing over a room's interior surfaces, including furniture, flooring, etc.

    An air purifier can also be combined with an HVAC system to help condition indoor air when the unit is not in use, by drawing fresh outdoor air into your home or office space through open windows and doors.

    Simultaneously, filtered interior air is expelled back outside for circulation after it has passed over an activated carbon filter.

    This helps keep contaminants from building up indoors year-round so you can enjoy cleaner breathing conditions during all seasons of the year.

    How Can You Combine an Air Purifier With Your HVAC System?

    The best way to combine an air purifier with your HVAC system is by installing a dedicated unit in each room where occupants spend time.

    This will help remove indoor contaminants faster and more efficiently.

    For example.

    You could install one of these units in the living space while also placing another between rooms that connect via open doors or windows.

    In this way fresh outdoor air can circulate through them when closed off if it's cold outside for heating purposes.

    You can also install central air purifiers in the HVAC system's main unit.

    These are designed to remove contaminants before they enter your living space instead of within individual rooms.

    These can be especially helpful when you want purified air circulated throughout an entire building or complex.

    For example.

    Like a single-family home on one property, that connects directly to others via open doors and windows between them.

    This will also help improve air quality in homes that share HVAC systems like multi-unit apartment buildings, for example.

    Can Indoor Air Quality Issues Be Fixed With Both Systems Installed? 

    Yes, because these systems work well together to remove contaminants that cause poor air quality.

    Installing both types of units in a home or office can help reduce indoor pollutants by up to 99%.

    Depending on their size and the contaminants you're trying to remove from your living space for better health conditions.

    For example.

    An HVAC system combined with one of these technologies is ideal.

    It will provide conditioned airflow while simultaneously removing common allergens, like pet dander and dust particles, that circulate through vents when they're switched on during heating or cooling processes.

    An activated carbon filter technology used within individual room units, also works well if you want clean breathing conditions throughout a single space, instead of an entire building's interior.

    This type of device provides superior performance, trapping gaseous chemicals often found inside homes where people live and work.

    What Are Some Benefits of Installing Both Technologies?

    There are several health benefits to installing both types of technologies in your home or office, and they include:

    • Improved indoor air quality for cleaner breathing conditions.
    • Reduced energy costs because HVAC systems don't have to work as hard when filters aren't clogged with contaminants, so you will spend less on heating and cooling bills every month.
    • Fewer respiratory illnesses5 due to reduced exposure to airborne pollutants which can trigger asthma attacks, allergies, etc.
    • Enhanced comfort levels from improved airflow throughout living spaces, since the two devices work well together during years of combined use.
    • Helps reduce common allergens that cause people to have sore throats, itchy eyes, and other types of reactions, when they're present in a living space for long periods.

    These are just a few of the benefits that come from using this two-in-one combination.

    They will not only help improve indoor air quality and reduce energy costs.

    They can also be used to enhance comfort levels by keeping HVAC systems running efficiently, so their filters don't become overloaded with contaminants over time.

    It also protects people's health when these technologies are installed in homes and other types of buildings where people work and live.

    Common Questions

    Is There a Certain Size of HVAC Unit That Is Best for Use With an Air Purifier?

    Is There a Type of Air Purifier That Works Best With HVAC Systems?

    Do Some Models Come Complete With Both HVAC and Air Purifier?

    What Should I Be Aware of When Installing HVAC and Air Purifier?

    In Conclusion

    HVAC systems and air purifiers are two essential pieces of equipment you can have in your home.

    They work together to ensure that your family is healthy, comfortable, and living in a clean environment.

    It's important to know precisely how HVAC systems and air purifiers work together so that you will have a better idea of how to choose the suitable units for your home and how to use them together regularly.

    Read more about the types of purifiers in our air purifier reviews.

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