Airtight homes are great for energy efficiency, but they have a problem removing indoor pollutants. The solution to this problem is proper home ventilation. There are three primary ways to ventilate your home; here is a look at each one.
Natural Ventilation
Fresh air is allowed to replace indoor air when you open doors and windows on beautiful days. However, on hot or cold days, homes that are air-sealed will not be able to benefit from natural ventilation. Also, homes located in polluted or humid areas may never be able to utilize this form of ventilation.
Whole-House Ventilation
This type of air circulation provides a uniform, controlled amount of ventilation throughout the entire home. Fans and duct systems are used to exhaust stale air out of your home and supply fresh air into your home. Products called Energy Recovery Ventilators (ERV’s) allow the ventilating to occur in a controlled way, so energy loss is minimal. For example, in the winter, the system transfers the heat from exhausted air into the cold, fresh air being ventilated into the home. The opposite is true in the summer.
Spot Ventilation
By adding localized exhaust fans in various locations of the home like the bathroom and kitchen, spot ventilation can improve the effectiveness of the other two kinds of home ventilation. This solution removes indoor pollution, steam and smoke by circulating it outside.
A combination of air-circulating types is your best bet for the cleanest indoor air — without wasting energy in the process. If you are interested in learning how to incorporate vents and fans into your home, contact Aladdin Heating & Cooling, a professional contractor serving Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties since 1945. We’re always happy to help.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ventilation and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Aladding Heating & Cooling services the Detroit, Michigan and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!