In the cold winters and hot summers, keeping a home well-insulated is key. But as insulation becomes more efficient and less air is exchanged between your house and the outside environment, air quality may suffer. In this article, we'll be going over one of the simplest ways to improve your air quality: the pleated air filter.Filters can be found in just about any appliance or machine that deals with air in an enclosed space, from automobiles and aircraft to home furnaces and air conditioners. Filters in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems intercept air as it flows through your home, sending the air through a fibrous material which catches and holds particles such as dust, bacteria, pollen, mold, and pet dander. Pleated filters take this to another level of efficiency by pleating (partially folding) the material, resulting in a filter with much greater surface area. This means that not only can the air filter catch more particles from the air, but their buildup is spread over a greater area, extending the filter's usable life. The EPA notes that pleated filters also use a finer mesh fiber, trapping inhalable particles other filters might miss.Air filters come in various Minimum Efficiency Reporting Values, or MERVs, and choosing a pleated filter with a high MERV value (above 10) is known to ease suffering from indoor allergens. But even filters with MERV values of 6 or 8 can be a worthwhile investment for your home, offering significant advantages over panel (non-folded) filters.Remember that air filters should be checked monthly and changed quarterly to keep them operating at their highest efficiency. As it filters out dust and particles from your home, the air filter will retain particle buildup, and its efficiency will slowly decrease. If left unchecked for extended periods of time, filters may even clog and cause damage to your HVAC systems. Air Assurance has invested in making filters to their specifications in order to make sure the best air quality and air flow both exist for a great value.If you have any questions, contact us at our Air Assurance website or at (918) 615-5760. We're proud to serve the Broken Arrow and Tulsa areas, and are ready to assist you with anything you might need.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock