Ventilation

Ventilation Matters

Ventilation is necessary to maintain a healthy and comfortable indoor environment. Natural ventilation is uncontrolled air through small holes and cracks in the exterior of a home. In the past, air leakage usually diluted air pollutants enough to maintain adequate indoor air quality, but today people keep their homes closed up due to central heating and cooling systems in use year-end.

Fresh air is essential to the health and well-being of your home and its occupants. The right systems and eco-system will protect your home and its occupants from unwelcome indoor air pollutants and odors while controlling moisture levels and providing the necessary air exchange. There are three ways to improve air quality:

Spot ventilation: Add a fan to a bath or kitchen near the moisture or pollution source.

Whole-home ventilation: Use the bath fan or a fresh-air intake on the furnace in addition to a fresh air controller.

Heat recovery or energy recovery ventilation: Include whole-house ventilation as part of your heating system.

If ventilation is not addressed properly, you could experience:

• Backdrafting of combustion appliances
• Overventilation
• Dangerous pollutants entering your home – especially if air sealing between the home and attached garage is not addressed

It is best to leave ventilation issues to the professionals. A Home Energy Audit will evaluate the air quality in your home and pinpoint any ventilation issues.

Covid-19 Concerns

Ensuring proper ventilation with outside air can help reduce airborne contaminants, including viruses, according to the Center for Disease Control and Protection (CDC). The CDC reports the “greater number of people in an indoor environment, the greater the need for ventilation with outdoor air” and will help reduce the risk from airborne transmission of viruses and exposure to products used for cleaning and disinfecting potentially contaminated surfaces. (EPA: Ventilation and Covid-19).

Check out our Education Center to learn more.