What does MERV mean?

The abbreviation MERV means minimum efficiency reporting value. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) developed the MERV scale (1–16) to assess the efficacy of air filters. It is difficult for your system to pull air through the system, and the air filter is more effective with a higher MERV rating. For most situations, we typically advise MERV filters between 7 and 11.