You want your home to be environmentally friendly, but you don’t necessarily want hints of the environment on your floors, right? So let’s finish that bowl of granola, put out the recyclables and have a look at how central vacuum systems make your home cleaner and greener. With a central vac, green is as easy as 1, 2, 3 . . .
1. The Hollies had it right . . . “All I need is the air that I breathe”
But that was then and this is now, so we’ll add the caveat, “to be cleaner.” According to a recent study published in the JIACI (Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology), “Indoor air pollution is one of the most common problems addressed by allergists as troublesome for their patients.” The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) states that indoor air can be three to five times more polluted than outside air, a little-known and alarming fact! The same JIACI study compared central vacs to conventional vacuums to see which method worked best to reduce allergy symptoms. “Interestingly, in all seven domains of the evaluation, including activity, sleep, non-nasal symptoms, practical problems, nasal symptoms, eye symptoms and emotions, use of the central vacuum proved to be superior.” Central vacs work more efficiently to remove allergens, and since the power unit is located outside the living space, no exhaust particles are released back into the home’s air.
2. LEEDing the way to a green home environment.
The growing demand for central vacuum systems as part of today’s green lifestyle was recently reinforced by their inclusion in the National Green Building Standard™. In addition, LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) will award points toward a green certificate to homes equipped with central vacuums that are vented outdoors. Central vacuum systems provide an opportunity for LEED points in a variety of ways, such as indoor air quality and the use of recyclable steel. Even if you’re not applying for a green certificate for your home, it’s nice to know you can!
3. Less is more…
Less noise—central vacuum systems are quieter than conventional vacuum cleaners! Less energy consumption—the power unit is more powerful, so you spend less time cleaning! No bags—helps save our forests and helps save your wallet!
So leave the soil and the ragweed to the earth where it belongs, and leave the pollution cleanup projects outdoors. Be central vac clean and green!