Installation

Indoor Air Quality Systems Installation

Your heating and cooling system circulates the air in your home continuously; every hour of every day, through every season. What's in that air determines what your family breathes. ACT Heating & Cooling installs whole-home SolaceAir® UV purifiers and electronic air cleaners that work with your existing HVAC to deliver meaningfully cleaner air, without portable devices, filter replacements every few weeks, or any daily management.

What's Actually in Your Home's Air

Most Billings homeowners don't think much about indoor air quality — until they have a reason to. But the air inside a home is recirculated constantly through the HVAC system, and it accumulates what's in it over time.

A standard furnace filter catches the larger particles that would otherwise clog your equipment. What it was never designed to address:

• Bacteria and viruses — Airborne pathogens that travel on microscopic particles, recirculating through your home each time the furnace or AC runs
• Mold spores — Common in homes with any moisture history, and small enough to pass through standard filtration
• Fine dust and allergens — Particles below 1 micron that standard filters don't capture, including pollen, pet dander, and dust mite debris
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) — Off-gassing from building materials, furniture, cleaning products, and paint are present in virtually every home
• Odors — Cooking, pets, smoke, and household chemicals that standard filtration doesn't address
• Sub-micron particulates — The finest airborne particles, which penetrate deepest into the respiratory tract and are the most difficult to capture

For households where someone has allergies, asthma, respiratory sensitivities, or a compromised immune system, this matters more acutely. But it matters for every home — the air your family breathes for 8 or more hours a night while sleeping is the air your HVAC system moves.

Whole-home IAQ systems address what standard filtration can't, continuously, without any effort from you.

Why Whole-Home, Not Portable Air Purifiers

Standalone portable air purifiers are the first thing most people reach for when they think about indoor air quality. They work — within their limitations — but those limitations are significant for a whole-home application.

Coverage: A portable unit purifies the air in a single room while running. A whole-home system treats every cubic foot of air that passes through your central HVAC. Every room, every floor, continuously.

Consistency: Portable units cycle on and off, covering only the space immediately around them. A whole-home system treats air at the source, every time the furnace or AC runs, regardless of where the air goes.

Noise and intrusion: Portable units run audibly, occupy floor space, and require management. Whole-home systems are installed inside your existing ductwork and operate silently. You won't know they're running.

Maintenance: Portable units require frequent filter changes. The SolaceAir® electronic air cleaner uses a low-maintenance polarized media pad, and the UV system has no consumables to track beyond periodic bulb replacement.

For a Billings home that runs a heating system six months of the year and recirculates its interior air continuously, a whole-home solution is in a different category than a room-based one. It's not a better version of the same thing. It's a fundamentally different approach.

Who Benefits Most From Whole-Home IAQ Systems

Whole-home indoor air quality systems benefit every household. But they're particularly meaningful for:

Allergy and asthma sufferers — Reducing the concentrations of pollen, pet dander, dust-mite debris, and mold spores in circulating air can meaningfully reduce symptom frequency and severity.

Households with pets — Pet dander is among the most common indoor allergens, and it's small enough to pass through standard filtration. The electronic air cleaner captures it at MERV 13 efficiency.

Homes with young children or elderly residents — Both groups are more vulnerable to airborne pathogens and the health effects of poor air quality.

Anyone who's been ill frequently in winter — Recirculating air in a sealed, heated home during cold weather is one of the most efficient environments for airborne pathogen transmission. UV purification disrupts that cycle.

Homes with odor concerns — Cooking, pets, smoke, or just the accumulated smell of a sealed home in winter. The activated charcoal layer in the electronic air cleaner addresses odors that filtration alone doesn't reach.

Anyone who's recently renovated — New flooring, paint, cabinets, and building materials all off-gas VOCs for months to years after installation. The electronic air cleaner's activated charcoal layer captures them.

How IAQ System Installation Works With ACT

1. Request an Estimate at No Charge

Start online or call us at (406) 248-5732. We'll schedule a visit to your space at a time that works for you, with no charge for the assessment.

2. We Assess Your System

An ACT technician evaluates your existing HVAC setup, air handler configuration, filter rack dimensions, ductwork layout, and electrical access, to confirm which systems fit your installation and where they're best positioned.

3. You Receive a Firm, Written Quote

We present your options with firm, itemized pricing. Our Homeowner Installation Proposal means the number on paper is the number on your invoice. No surprises.

4. You Decide, On Your Timeline

No pressure. Take the time you need to review your options and ask questions.

5. Professional Installation

Both systems we carry are installed inside your existing HVAC, with no structural modifications, no new ductwork, and no multi-day project. Most installations are completed in a single visit of one to three hours, depending on which systems are being installed.

6. System Test and Walkthrough

We verify proper operation of each system before leaving and walk you through what normal operation looks like, what to monitor, and when periodic maintenance is due.

What to Expect on Installation Day

IAQ system installations are among the least disruptive HVAC add-ons available. Both the UV purifier and electronic air cleaner install inside your existing equipment, with no new penetrations, no ductwork modifications, and no impact on the rest of your home.

UV Air Purifier:

• The UV lamp assembly is mounted inside the air handler or supply plenum at the point of maximum airflow
• A low-voltage power connection is made to your existing HVAC electrical system
• The system is activated and confirmed operational before we leave
• Typical installation time: one to two hours

Electronic Air Cleaner:

• The polarized media panels are fitted into your existing filter rack or grille — the same slot your current filter occupies
• A 24V wiring connection is made to your HVAC control board
• The system is verified operational, and a fresh media pad is confirmed in place
• Typical installation time: one to two hours
• Installing both in a single visit is the most efficient approach, and what most homeowners choose when they decide on the combination.

Why Billings Homeowners Choose ACT for IAQ Installation

Full HVAC Integration Expertise — Both IAQ systems connect to your furnace or air handler's electrical and control system. Getting that integration right requires the same working knowledge of your HVAC system that goes into any installation ACT does. This isn't a bolt-on product — it's part of your HVAC system, and it should be installed by someone who knows that system.

Honest Guidance on What You Actually Need — We'll tell you which system makes the most sense for your household's specific concerns — and whether the combination is worth the investment for your situation. We don't push both systems to every customer.

Firm Quotes, Not Estimates — The Homeowner Installation Proposal means no surprises. What we quote is what you pay.

30+ Years Serving Billings — We've been installing and servicing HVAC systems in Billings homes since 1992. That experience informs how we approach every add-on, including ones that need to work correctly with equipment we may have installed years ago.

Ready to Talk About Your Home's Air Quality?

Request an estimate, and an ACT technician will assess your existing system, walk you through your options, and give you a firm written quote. No obligation, no pressure.