According to recent studies, the average Gilbert, AZ resident spends about 86.9% of their time indoors. As a result, indoor environments play a significant role in our overall health. Despite that, most homeowners have limited visibility into their home’s environmental conditions. At most, they have a central thermostat that tells them the temperature in a single spot. It says nothing about pollution, humidity levels, or other environmental conditions. However, a new generation of smart thermometers and environmental sensors are changing that. Here’s why they’re the future of home health monitoring.

How Your Indoor Environment Shapes Your Health

There are countless ways that your home’s environment affects the health of everyone in it. For example, uncomfortably high or low temperatures can impact your sleep quality. So can humidity that’s too high or low. Sleep disruptions alone can increase your risk of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and dementia. However, the quality of your home’s air may have an even more significant impact on your health.

Modern homes employ multiple measures to create a sealed air envelope. That’s necessary to support high-efficiency HVAC systems. Unfortunately, a lack of air exchange with the outdoors can rapidly turn a home’s indoor air into a polluted mess. Indeed, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, concentrations of common pollutants are often five times higher indoors.

Most homes also have no shortage of pollution sources. Gas-powered appliances can contribute particulate matter and carbon monoxide to a home’s air. Everyday cleaning products can add high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Even furniture can have adhesives that release byproducts into the surrounding air.

All of those pollutants can produce an array of adverse health consequences. They can range from mild annoyances like eye, nose, and throat irritation to heart disease. There’s even a name for the health effects a home with poor air quality may inflict on its occupants. It’s called sick building syndrome.

What Smart Thermometers Can Do To Help

The first step toward improving environmental conditions in your home is understanding them. That allows you to take targeted steps to solve your home’s specific challenges. Smart thermometers are the most basic connected environmental sensors you can add to your home. They can expand your ability to monitor your HVAC’s performance and detect room-to-room temperature imbalances. Some sensors can integrate with smart thermostats to augment their environmental data.

With additional sensors, your smart thermostat can prioritize conditions in specific rooms at different times. For example, you could prioritize a sensor in your bedroom overnight. That can ensure you get an ideal sleep environment, regardless of what the central thermostat reads. Some smart thermometer sensors can even measure humidity, too. That can alert you to spaces in your home that stay persistently dry or moist. They may even integrate with portable humidifiers and dehumidifiers to activate them when needed.

What Other Types of Smart Environmental Sensors Can Do

Most packaged smart environmental sensors can handle monitoring the temperature and humidity in your home. However, they also have various other capabilities to help you improve your home’s environment. Here are some of the most common sensors available today and why they’re helpful.

CO2 Level Sensors

It shouldn’t be a surprise that a common indoor air quality issue in today’s homes is high CO2 concentrations. CO2 is a natural byproduct of human respiration, so everyone in your home contributes to the problem. Environmental experts say CO2 concentrations higher than 800 parts per million are hazardous indoors. A CO2 sensor can alert you to rising CO2 levels and even trigger automated responses. You could, for example, instruct a ventilation system to activate when CO2 concentrations exceed safe limits.

PM2.5 and VOC Sensors

PM2.5 is a designation that refers to airborne particulate matter with diameters of 2.5 micrometers or less. They’re particularly dangerous because they can reach the deepest parts of your lungs, causing damage and inflammation. VOCs, by contrast, are substances with low water solubility and high vapor pressures. A variety of manufactured materials emit VOCs as gasses. As a result, every home has some level of VOCs in its air; it’s merely a question of concentration. VOCs can damage various bodily organs, and some even cause cancer.

Adding PM2.5 and VOC sensors to your home can help you decide if it requires active air cleaning measures. Some sensors will integrate with portable HEPA filters to help keep detected harmful substances out of your air. If your sensor detects consistently high levels of PM2.5 and VOCs in its air, you might consider a whole-home air purifier.

Pollen and Allergen Sensors

If you have allergy sufferers in your home, a smart pollen and allergen sensor can improve their quality of life. Understanding the nature of the allergens in your home’s indoor air and their concentration can guide mitigation efforts. That may include more frequent vacuuming or pet bathing. It may also help sufferers find the ideal medication schedule.

Radon Sensors

Radon is a radioactive noble gas resulting from the decay of other radioactive materials. It’s the second-leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It’s also a much more common problem in Arizona than many homeowners realize. High radon levels can indicate poor ventilation or cracks in your home’s foundation. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that one in 15 Arizona homes has radon levels above safe limits.

A radon sensor can let you monitor radon concentrations in your home in real time. It’s important to know that radon levels fluctuate based on weather and temperature. So, only real-time monitoring can provide timely warnings so you can take action.

Carbon Monoxide Sensors

Currently, most Gilbert homes have carbon monoxide (CO) detectors installed. They’re a critical piece of health and safety equipment. However, adding a smart CO sensor may be beneficial regardless. One reason is that such sensors let you see CO concentration measurements. That can alert you to a problem before it worsens enough to harm your health. Plus, connected CO detectors can warn you when they reach the end of their useful life. Many perform self-tests so you don’t have to remember to do it. They can eliminate the chance that a malfunctioning CO detector leaves your home and family vulnerable.

Local Indoor Environmental Experts

If you’re interested in taking better control over your Gilbert home’s indoor environment, A/C & Plumbing Doctors can help. We’ve offered affordable indoor air quality solutions for over 16 years. Whether you need an air scrubber, a UV sterilizer, or an energy recovery ventilation system, we can supply it. We also offer complete HVAC and plumbing services, including a full array of installation, repairs, and maintenance. You’ll receive transparent and up-front pricing with no surprises.

We’re family-owned and -operated, and we run a completely paperless business. Also, all of our technicians undergo thorough training and drug testing. They’ll always arrive in fully-stocked trucks with everything they need to perform your requested service. We’re proud of our accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, and our A+ rating reflects our commitment to our customers. If you need indoor environmental solutions for your Gilbert home, contact us at A/C & Plumbing Doctors today! We’re the best AC company in Gilbert!

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