Who is MERV and What Does He Have to Do with My AC Filter?

What Is a MERV?

MERV isn't a who, it is a what.  It stands for Minimum Efficiency Report Value.  That is a fancy term dreamed up by the geeks and nerds at the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

courtesy Witthaya Phonsawat

They wanted a standard way to evaluate how well a filter captured particles.  We know that we have tons of stuff in our air like:

• Dust
• Pet Hair
• Mold
• Pollen

These guys (and gals) knew that we were all out there buying filters to capture the crud in our air but that we didn't have a way to compare filters.  So they came up with this scale.

Is More MERV Better?

As the filtering capacity goes up, the MERV number goes up. So, you would think that a bigger number is better.  That is not the case.  So, the higher the number, the more it filters, and the more it restricts the air. Wait, restricts air?

Find the Right MERV

Different applications call for different MERV ratings.  You can read here to find out more about MERV ratings and how to pick the MERV rated filter right for you.

If you live in Broward, Palm Beach, or Miami-Dade County Florida, you can pick up the phone call the experts at Broward AC Filters to help you pick a filter or order on-line.