The short answer:
An air scrubber is a whole-home air quality system that installs inside your HVAC ductwork. Unlike air purifiers, which filter contaminants as air passes through them, the ActivePure A1013V sends charged molecules into your living spaces to actively neutralize bacteria, viruses, mold, VOCs, and odors on surfaces and in the air throughout your home.
It runs quietly every time your HVAC system runs, covers up to 3,000 square feet, requires no replacement filters, and is certified to produce zero ozone. Installation by a licensed HVAC technician takes under an hour.
Last Revised: 5/5/26
The air inside your home is recirculated dozens of times a day. Whatever’s in it (things like pet dander, cooking fumes, volatile organic compounds, etc.) goes with it, room to room, every time your system runs.
Most people don’t think much about that until something makes them. An allergy season that won’t end. A smell that lingers too long. A family member who just always seems to be congested. It can make you ask yourself:
Is an air scrubber something that would genuinely make a difference in your home?
If you’re researching air scrubbers, something brought you here. This guide gives you the straight answers: what the ActivePure A1013V actually does, how it’s different from other whole-home air quality systems, and whether it’s worth the investment for your household.
What Does an Air Scrubber Actually Do?
Most indoor air quality products are passive. They sit in a room and wait for contaminated air to pass through them. An air scrubber works differently.
The ActivePure A1013V installs directly into your HVAC system’s ductwork at the supply plenum. Every time your furnace or AC runs, the air scrubber activates. And here’s what makes it different: It doesn’t just filter air passing through it, it sends charged molecules out into your living spaces that actively seek out and neutralize contaminants on surfaces and in the air throughout your home.
What It Targets
The ActivePure technology at the core of the A1013V reduces up to 99.9% of the most common indoor pollutants:
- Bacteria and viruses
- Mold spores
- VOCs (volatile organic compounds): the gases released by cleaning products, paints, and building materials
- Smoke and odors
- Pet dander and allergens
Importantly, it works on both airborne contaminants and those that have settled on surfaces (countertops, furniture, doorknobs). That dual capability is something that a HEPA filter simply cannot offer.
How Does the ActivePure Technology Work?
The science behind the A1013V is called photocatalytic oxidation, and here’s the simplified version: inside the unit is a cell with a rare metal coating. When UV light hits that coating, it produces charged molecules that are sent out through your ductwork and into every room connected to your HVAC. When they encounter a contaminant (bacteria, mold, VOCs), they attach to it and break it down at a molecular level.
The result is a continuous, whole-house sanitation process that’s happening quietly in the background, every time your system runs.
What the A1013V Specs Actually Tell You
If you're the kind of homeowner who wants to see the numbers before making a decision, here's what the technical sheet covers — and what each spec actually means in practice.
A couple of things worth calling out specifically. First, the zero ozone certification matters more than it might seem. Some air purification technologies produce ozone as a byproduct, which can aggravate asthma and respiratory conditions. The A1013V is independently validated to produce none. And second, the 17-watt power draw means this is running essentially for free from an energy standpoint, every time your system is on.
How is an Air Scrubber Any Different From an Air Purifier?
This is the most common question we hear, and it’s an important clarification to make. Here’s an honest comparison between the two:
Whole-home air purifiers (the kind installed into your ductwork) are genuinely good products that treat all the air your HVAC circulates. A high-quality ducted HEPA filter captures particles as small as 0.3 microns, including most dust, pollen, pet dander, and even many bacteria. If you have one, it’s doing real work on your indoor air.
The key word is filtration. Every air purifier, whether it’s a portable unit or a whole-home system, works the same way fundamentally: air has to pass through it to be treated. What air purifiers can’t do is go looking for contaminants.
The ActivePure A1013V works differently. Instead of waiting for air to cycle through a filter, it sends charged molecules out into your living spaces through your ductwork. These molecules are friendly to breathe, but break down contaminants as they come into contact with them. This means it’s treating your countertops, furniture, and doorknobs, not just the air column passing through your air handler.
It also addresses a category that filtration-based systems can’t touch: gases released by cleaning products, paints, adhesives, and building materials. Most of these gases pass right through an air purifier, however the A1013V air scrubber neutralizes them at the molecular level.
The two technologies aren’t necessarily competing, as many homeowners run both. If your whole-home air purifier is already handling particle filtration well, an air scrubber adds the active, surface-level, and gas-phase protection that filtration alone leaves uncovered.
Want to Know if the A1013V Is Right For Your Home?
Our HVAC technicians can assess your system and space during your next visit, but here’s an honest starting point.
Is the Air Scrubber Worth It? The Honest Answer
Whether the A1013V is worth it depends on what you’re trying to solve.
It’s likely a strong fit if:
- Someone in your home has allergies, asthma, or respiratory sensitivity
- You have pets (especially multiple pets)
- You’ve noticed persistent odors that your HVAC system doesn’t clear
- Your home was recently renovated (new materials typically produce off-gas VOCs for months)
- You’re in a tighter, well-insulated newer home where less fresh air exchanges naturally
- You’ve had mold issues or high indoor humidity in the past
You might not need an air scrubber if:
- Your home is well-ventilated, you have no air quality symptoms, and no pets
- You already run a whole-home air purifier with UV treatment through your HVAC
For most families in the Greater Philadelphia area (especially well-sealed, newer construction in Chester, Delaware, or Montgomery counties), indoor air quality is genuinely worse than outdoor air quality. The EPA estimates Americans spend roughly 90% of their time indoors, where concentrations of some pollutants can be two to five times higher than outdoors. An air scrubber is one of the most practical ways to close that gap.
How Much Does an Air Scrubber Cost?
Air scrubbers typically cost Mattioni customers around $1,400 to install.
For a full picture of what indoor air quality systems typically cost (including air scrubbers, air purifiers, humidifiers, and more), see our detailed breakdown
Financing options are available, and Mattioni provides flat-rate pricing so you know the exact cost before any work begins. No hour-by-hour surprises.
One More Benefit Your HVAC Tech Will Appreciate: System Protection
There’s a benefit to the air scrubber that a lot of homeowners don’t always hear about: it protects your heating and cooling equipment.
Contaminants that build up inside your ductwork and on your coils reduce system efficiency over time. They create conditions that contribute to the breakdown of HVAC components. The A1013V helps prevent that buildup, meaning your furnace and AC run cleaner, more efficiently, and with fewer issues throughout their lifespans.
It’s not the primary reason most homeowners install one, but it’s a real secondary benefit that adds to the long-term value.
Maintenance: What Does it Take to Keep the A1013V Air Scrubber Running?
The A1013V is a low-maintenance addition to your HVAC system. The ActivePure cell needs to be replaced every 1-2 years, but outside of that, there are no filters to change or consumables to stock.
For a full walkthrough of what maintenance involves, including when to replace the cell and what a service visit looks like, we’ve put together a dedicated guide:
Air Scrubber FAQ
Both can be installed as whole-home systems through your ductwork. The fundamental difference is how they work. Air purifiers use filtration: air passes through a filter, contaminants get trapped, and cleaner air comes out the other side. That means they can only treat air that physically moves through the unit.
The ActivePure A1013V air scrubber produces charged molecules that travel out through your ductwork and into every room, where they seek out and break down contaminants on surfaces and in the air, not just in the air column passing through a filter. It also neutralizes VOC gases, which pass right through even high-grade HEPA or media filters. The two technologies aren't necessarily competing; they solve indoor air quality problems in different ways.
No. The ActivePure A1013V is CARB Certified and validated to UL 2998, which is the zero-ozone emissions standard. Some older air purification technologies do produce ozone as a byproduct, which can irritate airways, especially for people with asthma or respiratory sensitivities. That's not a concern with this unit.
Under an hour in most homes. The unit mounts inside your ductwork near the air handler, connects to your existing 24-volt HVAC power, and includes a safety switch that prevents it from running when the system is off. Your Mattioni technician will assess placement during the visit. There's no major work, no drywall, no disruption to your day.
No, and it's not meant to. Your standard HVAC filter still handles large particles and protects your equipment. The air scrubber works alongside it, addressing what a filter can't: active bacteria, viruses, mold spores, VOC gases, odors, and surface contamination throughout the home. Think of them as complementary systems, not competing ones.
The ActivePure cell (the component that does the active purification work) will need replacement over time and is covered under a 2-year cell warranty. Outside of that, there are no filters to change and no consumables to stock. It's one of the lower-maintenance indoor air quality upgrades you can make.
For a full walkthrough of what maintenance involves and when to schedule it, see our ActivePure A1013V maintenance guide.
Allergies are the most common reason people consider an air scrubber, but they're far from the only one. VOC reduction matters in any home with new furniture, flooring, paint, or cleaning products, which is most homes at some point. Odor control is a real benefit for pet owners. And mold prevention is particularly valuable in humid Pennsylvania basements and older construction throughout Chester and Delaware counties.
Whether it's the right fit for your specific home is a conversation your Mattioni technician can have with you honestly, without pressure. We'd rather you make the right call than the expensive one.
The A1013V covers up to 2,000 square feet nominally, and up to 3,000 square feet in contiguous spaces with ceilings no higher than 10 feet. For larger homes or layouts with significant square footage across multiple floors, your technician may recommend multiple units or a different configuration. The unit itself is compact (about the size of a shoebox) and fits most standard duct configurations without modification.
Air Scrubber Installation in Chester, Delaware & Montgomery Counties
If you're in Southeastern Pennsylvania, there are a few reasons indoor air quality is worth paying closer attention to than in other parts of the country.
Newer construction in communities like Downingtown, Phoenixville, and King of Prussia is where the problem is most acute. Tightly sealed, energy-efficient homes are built to hold conditioned air in; which is great for your utility bill, but means contaminants recirculate without clearing (mold spores, VOCs off-gassing from building materials and furniture, cooking fumes, pet dander). In a well-sealed home, that air turns over far less than most homeowners realize.
Older homes in Chester and Delaware counties have the opposite dynamic. Drafty construction and less airtight insulation means more natural air exchange, but that also brings in more outdoor allergens, humidity, and in some cases, radon and soil gases depending on the foundation. The contaminant profile is different, not absent.
Either way, the Mid-Atlantic climate adds its own layer: high humidity summers that create conditions for mold growth, and dry winters that concentrate airborne particles. Active air treatment addresses both ends of that spectrum in ways passive filtration alone can't.
Mattioni has been installing and servicing HVAC systems across Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Berks counties for more than 75 years. Our technicians know the housing stock here (from 1920s rowhomes in West Chester to newer builds in Downingtown and Kennett Square) and can tell you quickly whether the ActivePure A1013V is the right fit for your system and your square footage.
We serve: West Chester · Downingtown · Phoenixville · Kennett Square · King of Prussia · Villanova · Audubon · Malvern · Exton · Collegeville · and surrounding communities throughout Southeastern PA.
So, What Does An Air Scrubber Actually Do?
Most homeowners don’t think about indoor air quality until something goes wrong; an allergy season that doesn’t end, a smell that won’t leave, a family member whose symptoms never quite connect to an obvious cause.
The air moving through your home right now is carrying whatever your house has accumulated: cooking fumes, cleaning product residue, pet dander, VOCs, and microscopic particles your HVAC filter never caught. It circulates through your ductwork and back into every room, dozens of times a day.
The ActivePure A1013V doesn’t fix that problem with a filter. It fixes it by actively treating the air and surfaces throughout your home. Quietly and continuously, every time your system runs.
There aren’t any ongoing filter purchases. No portable units to move from room to room. Just cleaner air, across your whole home, from the moment your HVAC kicks on.
Families across Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties have trusted Mattioni with their homes for over 75 years. We’ll tell you honestly if the air scrubber is the right fit. And if it is, we’ll install it the right way, right away.
Call us at (610) 400-8510 or book an appointment online to take the first step to cleaner air and a more welcoming home.
