Compare Air Purifier Criteria
The top possible score for any purifier is 100 points. Each of the 10 rating factors has a maximum point value. Each of the rating factors are described below. Additional minor rating considerations are presented near the end of this page. Overall Star Rating:
10 Rating Factors: 1) Value: Maximum 24-points possible - To calculate the value of a given air purifier certain factors need to be considered. These factors include the total cost, actual square footage cleaned, and the actual cleaning ability. Total cost includes MSRP purchase price and yearly ongoing operational costs. Actual cleaning ability includes what is removed and how well. The equation is as follows: 100 * (1 - (((Purifier Price + Yearly Ongoing Operational Cost Average)/Square Footage Cleaned)/What is Removed Score)). My rating criteria: 24-points for 96-100 - Excellent Value, 20-points for 90-95 - Very Good Value, 16-points for 80-89 - Good Value, 12-points for 70-79 - Fair Value, 8-points for 40-69 - Poor Value, and 4-points for 0-39 - Bad Value. Note: Square footage cleaned will be measured at 6 air changes per hour with passive units, verified and estimated with active units, and estimated when no conclusive data is present. There are accurate ways to estimate when data is not given.
2) What is Removed: Maximum 16-points possible - An air purifier is only as good as what it removes. I have divided the removal criteria into six contaminant categories. Each category is important for complete air cleaning. Removal of Larger Particles >0.3 microns. My rating criteria: 3-points for Very Good Removal, 2-points for Good Removal, 1-point for Fair Removal, and 0-points for Poor Removal. Removal of Smaller Particles <0.3 microns. My rating criteria: 3-points for Very Good Removal, 2-points for Good Removal, 1-point for Fair Removal, and 0-points for Poor Removal. Removal of Odors and Gases. My rating criteria: 3-points for Very Good Removal, 2-points for Good Removal, 1-point for Fair Removal, and 0-points for Poor Removal. Removal of VOCs. My rating criteria: 2-points for Good Removal, 1-point for Fair Removal, and 0-points for Poor Removal. Removal of Basic Microorganisms. My rating criteria: 3-points for Very Good Removal, 2-points for Good Removal, 1-point for Fair Removal, and 0-points for Poor Removal. Removal of Advanced Microorganisms. My rating criteria: 2-points for Good Removal, 1-point for Fair Removal, and 0-points for Poor Removal.
3) Yearly Operating Costs: Maximum 15-points possible - The initial price of an air purifier is only one factor in the total ongoing operational costs. Included in operational costs would be consumables like filters, cartridges, and UV lamps. Electricity consumption is an additional cost. I use the equation: watts/1000 X $.0886/kwh x 24 hours/day X 365 days/year = $__/year. Your kwh rate may be higher or lower depending on local conditions. Costs will be averaged over a 5-year time period. My rating criteria: 15-points for Under $50/year Very Inexpensive, 12-points for $50-$100/year Inexpensive, 9-points for $100-$150/year Average, 6-points for $150-$200/year Above Average, 3-points for $200-$300/year Expensive, and 0-points for Over $300 Very Expensive.
4) Quality: Maximum 12-points possible - Quality defines good products. Fit, finish, and workmanship are important purifier quality criteria. My rating criteria: 5-points for Excellent Quality, 4-points for Very Good Quality, 3-points for Good Quality, 2-points for Fair Quality, and 1-point for Questionable Quality. The quality of cleaning technologies utilized is also important purifier criteria. My rating criteria: 5-points for Excellent Quality, 4-points for Very Good Quality, 3-points for Good Quality, 2-points for Fair Quality, and 1-point for Questionable Quality. Support material including the instruction manual, customer service/support, and the company website are important. My rating criteria: 2-points for Excellent Quality, 1-point for Good Quality, and 0-points for Poor Quality. Add all three together for the Quality total.
5) Warranty: Maximum 8-points possible - A good warranty generally shows that a company has faith in their products. My rating criteria: 8-points for 5+ year Warranty Excellent, 6-points for 3-5 year Warranty Very Good, 4-points for 2-3 year Warranty Good, 2-points for 1-2 year Warranty Fair, and 1-point for 0-1 year Warranty Poor.
6) Maintenance and Cleaning: Maximum 6-points possible - Almost every air purifier has some ongoing maintenance. Most are well designed for easy maintenance, well some are more difficult. My rating criteria: 3-points for Easy Maintenance, 2-points for Average Maintenance, and 1-point for Intensive Maintenance. Almost every air purifier requires some ongoing cleaning. This may be as simple as wiping down the outside cabinet or as complex as cleaning the inside technology. My rating criteria: 3-points for Easy Cleaning, 2-points for Average Cleaning, and 1-point for Intensive Cleaning. Add the Maintenance and Cleaning scores together to get the total.
7) Look and Feel: Maximum 6-points possible - How an air purifier looks is important. My rating criteria: 3-points for Looks Great, 2-points for Looks Good, and 1-point for Questionable Looks. How an air purifier feels is also important. Key factors include: purifier controls, fit and finish, and ease of use. My rating criteria: 3-points for Feels Great, 2-points for Feels Good, and 1-point for Questionable Feel. Add the Look and Feel scores together to get the total.
8) Years in Business: Maximum 5-points possible - Generally, the longer a company has been in business the better. Years in business are part of a company's reputation. My rating criteria: 5-points for 20+ years Excellent, 4-points for 10-20 years Very Good, 3-points for 5-10 years Good, 2-points for 1-5 years Newcomer, and 1-point for 0-1 years Be Wary.
9) Noise Level: Maximum 5-points possible - Air purifiers generally make noise. On the quiet side, there are silent or near silent models. On the loud side, there are models that you would not want to sit near because they are so loud. Most models have multiple speeds/noise levels and can be adjusted or located in a suitable way. My rating criteria: 5-points for Very Quiet, 4-points for Quiet, 3-points for Average, 2-points for Loud, and 1-point for Very Loud. I will use hard data whenever possible. Example decibel levels: <25 dB whispering, 30 dB theatre w/ no talking, 50 dB quiet restaurant inside, 70 dB busy traffic, and 80 dB average vacuum cleaner.
10) Set-Up: Maximum 3-points possible - After you purchase your air purifier, you will want to get it up and running. Most models can be removed from the box and be up and running shortly after you review the instruction manual. Some models are so simple; all they require is plug-and-play. A few models take additional energy to set-up or even outside professional installation. My rating criteria: 3-points for Easy Set-up, 2-points for Average Set-up, and 1-point for Involved Set-up.
Additional factors: Area Coverage: The square footage that a purifier is recommended for. There are different ways to compute and compare. This does need to be taken into account when purchasing a purifier. Look for this information in the summary for each purifier review. Air Change Per Hour (ACH): This generally applies only to passive technology. It is a measure of how many times a purifier can exchange the air in a given sized room per hour. The purifiers' ability to "suck" the air through the technology (filters or other) is rated. This factor is best associated with cleaning ability and does find its way into my rating. Not all purifiers publish this information. Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR): This factor is calculated by AHAM (The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers). It gives a square footage measure indicating how much air is cleaned for three different pollutants: tobacco smoke, pollen, and dust. Air purifiers that have been tested by AHAM should have the AHAM Certified seal and CADR numbers on the purifier. The higher the CADR rating, the more effective the air purifier is against that pollutant. The biggest drawbacks are that this rating does not factor well with all types of purifier and that only 40 or so manufacturers have paid their "dues" to be included in the certification. These numbers are included in the basic specifications for each purifier when given by the manufacturer. They are an additional way to compare air purifier models and are taken into account in my reviews. I truly believe this rating system will give you a great way to compare air purifier against air purifier. Return to STEP3 Top Reviews from Compare Air Purifier Criteria
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Poor - score less than 50
Fair - score 50-59
Good - score 60-64
Very Good - score 65-74
Excellent - score 75-100
