Do Air Purifiers Cool The Room?

You may be asking this question because you wonder if you should invest in an air purifier or not. Most importantly, you may have heard the common myth that air purifiers work as an air conditioner or fan and cool a room. Read on to learn why this is a myth and how they work. 

Do Air Purifiers Cool The Room?

Air purifiers do not cool the room as they don’t have any air cooling mechanism. Air purifiers are like fans using electrical, mechanical, or hybrid air filters to circulate air in a closed space. 

However, people think otherwise because they feel a breeze of cool air when the air purifier is running. 

This does happen because air purifiers act as a fan. And like a fan, you tend to feel cooler while directing cool air to your exposed skin. The cooling is more evident when sweating or when the unit is on a higher fan speed. 

The cooling feeling depends on the air purifier’s air delivery rate (CADR), usually 80-300 CFM. It’s however significantly lower than a ceiling or desk fan’s CFM of 1,000 or more. 

2 Different Airflow Directions of Air Purifiers

While you can use air purifiers throughout the year, depending on the air outflow design, some are for specific seasonal use. And there are two types of air outflow design prevalent in modern air purifiers. They are:

1. Upward Airflow Direction

Many air purifiers use upward air delivery directions for a room’s air circulation. They draw air from 360-degree directions, and as they pull down the warm air from the ceiling, it makes the room hot. These air purifiers thus make a better choice for winter use. 

2. Forward Airflow Direction

Tower-style air purifiers tend to draw air from the backside to deliver clean air through the front. Some even have oscillating features like a stand fan, which cools the room. These forward airflow air purifiers are thus ideal for summer use. 

FAQ About Air Purifiers

Do air purifiers make a room hot?

No, air purifiers do not heat or cool the air in a room. They only work at circulating and cleaning the air in a room.  

Is it okay to leave air purifiers on all night?

Yes, it’s perfectly safe to leave an air purifier on all night and throughout the day. You can confidently leave it on even in your absence as they safely run 24/7 without overheating, breaking down, or releasing harmful byproducts. 

Do air purifiers work as fans?

No. While some air purifiers do contain fans, they have filters that slow the airflow through them. They thus cannot move enough air to cool you or the room. Besides, its clean air exhaust works at recirculating and not cooling the room. 

The only way they are similar to fans is that air purifiers circulate the room air. And you may use them to blow air directly and keep things cool and comfortable. 

There are some air purifiers like ionizers and ozone generators that do not have fans. So they do not add to normal air circulation. 

Do air purifiers consume lots of electricity?

No. Air purifiers do not use much power. They usually use less energy than ceiling fans (which consume 65W power or more) and much less power than air conditioners. 

Depending on the model and design, they consume anywhere between 5 to 55W of power. Some advanced models like those for use in larger rooms have larger fans and a sleep mode drawing 5 to 10 watts. This feature keeps the purifier’s cleaning working but doesn’t produce noise that disturbs your sleep. 

Related article: How To Save Money On Air Conditioning – 12 Energy-Saving Tips

Can you be in a room with an air purifier?

Yes, you can be in a room with an air purifier. All you need is enough space in the rooms for airflow. There will be no risk in moving the air purifier from one place to another. Regularly moving the air purifier is the most effective way of keeping your home air clean. 

How long does it take an air purifier to clean a room?

Air purifiers need anywhere between half an hour to two hours to clean a room. It depends on various factors like the air purifier size, its purifying coverage, the size of the room, and its fan speed. 

Related article: Do Air Purifiers Really Work? And Are They Worth Your Money?

Where is the best place to put an air purifier in a bedroom?

There are so many places you can place the air purifier in your bedroom, as long as it’s off the floor. You could set it:

• On a windowsill
• On the nightstand
• On the wall. In this case, you need to elevate and secure the air purifier just as you would hang a painting.  

Can you use an air purifier with the windows open?

It does not matter if you keep the windows and doors open or closes. In fact, it’s not a bad idea to mix a little fresh air with the room air while purifying it. With windows and doors open, the air cleaner cleans all-new pollutants entering the room. 

How long does a room take to air out?

Airing out a room is also called air exchange, and air purifiers can perform about 1 to 2 air exchanges per hour. The rate may increase to 4 changes per hour if the doors and windows are open. 

Do I need an air purifier if I have an AC?

Yes, in fact, it’s vital that you invest in an air purifier if you have an AC in the room. Because an AC works only to cool your room. It does not help in air purification and getting rid of dust and pollen. Rooms with AC especially need air purifiers because no fresh air enters the room. 

How do I know if I need an air purifier?

There are a few signs which indicate you require an air purifier if:

• You keep sneezing. It usually indicates the presence of dust pollen, pet dander, and other contaminants in the atmosphere. 
• The air is stuffy and smells foul.
• You have dust mites.
• You tend to snore loudly.
• You have sick family members because pure and fresh air is always better for them. 

Conclusion: do air purifiers make the room cold?

No, they don’t make the room cold. Air purifiers do not have a cooling unit like air conditioners and thus do not help make the room cold. High CADR air purifiers may at the most blow strong air which feels like cooler air to your skin.

Air purifiers however do purify the surrounding air by eliminating 99.97% of contaminant particles. And they purify only the air in the room it is.