As I’ve shared in the past, I’m not the handiest homeowner on the block. But even I can change a furnace filter. And now that we’ve had to switch our thermostat to “heat,” my money-centered mind has turned its attention toward finding the best deals on filters.
In our home, we’re a little fanatical about air quality. We have a relatively new furnace that came with a super high efficiency air filter, which means replacement filters are super-expensive. We also have a couple of portable air purifiers that use relatively inexpensive pre-filters and crazy-expensive HEPA filters.
Here’s how we balance our desire for healthy air with our desire to feed and clothe our family.
Make Peace With MERV
MERV stands for minimum efficiency reporting value, which relates to a filter’s effectiveness. Our furnace came with a MERV 16 filter, which the EPA says is typically designed for use in hospital operating rooms.
Even though, as I said, we’re a little nutty about air quality, we’re pretty confident that living in a somewhat less sterile environment than a hospital operating room won’t damage our family too badly. So, we’ve settled on MERV 12 filters, which the EPA says are designed for “superior residential” and even hospital laboratory applications.
Now, where to buy?
Amazon
For the size we need, I found the best price on furnace filters at Amazon – two for $43.98 and free shipping. That $22 per filter price is about $10 less than the only filter Home Depot sells that fits our furnace.
For the absolute best price, see if the filter you need can be purchased through Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program. By signing up for ongoing purchases (you get to choose the frequency), you save an additional 15 percent. There’s only one brand of furnace filter in the program, but maybe it comes in a size that works in your furnace.
Filters-NOW
For our portable air purifiers, I’ve been buying aftermarket filters at Filters-NOW. They charge for shipping, but their prices still beat Amazon. You might look around their site for various filters you need.
Note: I am not an affiliate advertiser for Amazon or Filters-NOW, so I do not receive any compensation by steering you to their sites.
Do you know of any better sources for filters?
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What kind of air purifiers do you recommend–since you mention filters for them? Also, wouldn’t one with a washable filter be more cost effective?
Thanks,
Jill
Jill – We have two Whirlpool Whispure 510 air purifiers. They’re not the cheapest air purifiers around, but they were rated highly by Consumer Reports and we’ve been happy with them. They’re quiet and, judging from how dirty the filters are when we replace them, they seem to pull a lot of stuff out of the air.
I’m not sure about washable filters. It’s something we either didn’t research before we bought ours or they just weren’t available. We’ve had our air purifiers for about 6 years.