Professional UV Light Systems in Durham, NC

Yes, but the type and placement matter. A UV-C germicidal light installed inside your HVAC air handler kills bacteria, mold, and viruses that pass through the system. Studies show UV-C at the right wavelength (253.7 nanometers) destroys up to 99.9 percent of biological contaminants on surfaces and in slow-moving air streams. It's not a gimmick. Hospitals, laboratories, and water treatment facilities have used UV-C sterilization for decades. The residential version applies the same science to your ductwork and evaporator coil.

What UV lights won't do is replace your air filter. They don't catch dust, pollen, or pet hair. They kill living organisms. For the best indoor air quality, you need both — filtration for particles, UV for biologicals.

Why UV Lights Work Especially Well in the Triangle

The connection between UV-C lights and the Triangle's climate is straightforward. Our region has high humidity for seven to eight months of the year. The inside of your air handler stays damp from condensation on the evaporator coil. Damp plus dark plus organic material (dust, skin cells, pollen residue) equals mold growth. It's not a question of if mold will grow on your evaporator coil in a Triangle home. It's a question of how fast.

Mold on the evaporator coil does two things. It degrades your air quality by releasing spores into every room of the house each time the blower runs. And it reduces your system's efficiency by insulating the coil surface, forcing the system to work harder to transfer heat. A UV-C light installed next to the evaporator coil sterilizes the surface continuously, preventing mold from establishing colonies in the first place.

Our techs see coils in Apex and Cary homes that haven't had UV protection. The difference between a coil in a home with UV and one without is visible — clean metal versus a dark, slimy film that smells musty when the system kicks on.

Two Types of UV Systems for Your HVAC

Coil-Sterilization Lights

These mount inside the air handler and shine directly on the evaporator coil 24 hours a day. Their primary job is keeping the coil surface free of mold, mildew, and bacterial biofilm. They run constantly (even when the HVAC isn't actively cycling) because mold grows whether the system is running or not.

This is the most popular option we install and the one that gives you the most return for the cost. A clean coil runs more efficiently, produces fewer odors, and doesn't send mold spores downstream into your living space. Installation starts at $299, and the bulb lasts about 12 months before it needs replacing.

Air-Sterilization Lights

These mount in the return duct or supply duct and target airborne pathogens as they flow through. Because air moves through the duct quickly (600 to 900 feet per minute in most residential systems), the UV exposure time is short. That means air-sterilization lights need to be more powerful than coil lights to be effective.

These make sense for households where someone has a compromised immune system, recurring respiratory infections, or heightened sensitivity to airborne biologicals. They're also popular with homeowners who simply want maximum protection — the coil light handles the source, and the air light handles what's already circulating.

What UV-C Doesn't Do

Honesty matters here. UV-C lights do not remove particles from the air. Dust, pollen, pet dander, and other non-living particles pass right by the UV light unchanged. You still need a quality air filter (MERV 8 at minimum, MERV 11 to 13 for allergy sufferers) to catch those.

UV-C also doesn't eliminate odors from cooking, chemicals, or off-gassing. For VOCs and odors, you need activated carbon filtration or a photocatalytic oxidation system. We can add those if needed.

And UV-C effectiveness depends on installation. A light mounted in the wrong spot, at the wrong angle, or too far from the coil won't sterilize much. Proper placement is the difference between a UV system that works and one that's just a glowing bulb inside your air handler.

Installation and Maintenance

Installation takes about an hour. Our tech mounts the UV lamp assembly inside the air handler, wires it to the system's power supply, and positions the bulb for maximum coverage of the evaporator coil surface. We test the output with a UV meter to confirm effective intensity at the coil.

Maintenance is minimal. Replace the UV-C bulb once a year — even if it's still glowing. UV-C output drops over time, and by 12 months the bulb may still produce visible light but not enough UV-C energy to kill mold effectively. We include bulb replacement as part of our annual tune-ups for customers on a maintenance plan.

Is It Worth the Investment

For Triangle homeowners, the answer is almost always yes. The combination of high humidity, long cooling seasons, and sealed modern construction creates ideal conditions for biological growth inside ductwork. A UV-C coil light starting at $299 prevents the mold buildup that causes musty odors, reduces allergy symptoms, keeps your coil efficient, and protects the air your family breathes.

Element Service Group installs UV-C systems across Apex, Cary, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Raleigh, and Durham. We're veteran-owned with over 700 five-star reviews, and our techs will show you exactly where the light goes and why before we install anything.