What MERV Rating Is Best For My Furnace Filter?
Essentially, a MERV Rating tells you how efficient your furnace filter is.
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) created the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) to measure your furnace filter’s efficiency. The scale ranks filters from 1-20 to tell you how efficient your furnace is at trapping small particles in your home’s air. The higher the MERV rating the more microscopic particles it will capture, meaning fewer contaminants in your air and, subsequently, your lungs.
You can also click here to learn more about which particle sizes are filtered at what rating.
Does a Higher Number Mean a Better Filter?
Just because a filter captures smaller particles doesn’t mean it’s the best air filter for your home. Most homes have filters that are rated from 8-13. These filters adequately clean pollutants like pet dander, pollen and dust from your home air. Filters with a MERV rating 14 or higher are typically used in hospitals or general surgery settings where air quality is of the utmost importance and airborne contaminants need to be removed. These types of filters are generally not required within a residential setting.
Here are some ratings and what they’re best for:
MERV 8
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MERV 10
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MERV 13
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Before choosing a filter rating, make sure to check if your furnace has a maximum MERV rating. Most modern furnaces can use MERV 8, MERV 10, and MERV 13, but you should always check to be sure as using a higher rating than recommended could damage your system. If you need a hand, feel free to reach out to us at help@cleanairclub.ca.
With the Clean Air Club, the benefits of improved air quality (at any MERV rating) and lowered energy costs never felt so good. Let us do the work so you don’t have to! Save money, breathe easy.