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When a home is very tight, less energy waste occurs, leading to lower utility bills and coveted energy savings. However, a negative result also occurs when the home’s exterior shell is airtight: a lack of ventilation, which leads to poor indoor air quality. In the past, when energy efficiency wasn’t a concern, and when the technologies didn’t exist to improve it, natural ventilation in the form of cracks and gaps in the home allowed for proper air circulation and air exchange in the home. Today, in the worst-case scenarios, “sick building” syndrome occurs when the building is tight but lacks proper ventilation.

Depending on your home and the season, you can choose from three primary ventilation options to improve air quality.HRV

  1. Natural ventilation – In between the winter and summer seasons, when temperatures are moderate, you can use natural ventilation in the form of open doors and windows to allow sufficient air exchange, giving indoor pollutants a chance to escape. In fact, this form of ventilation is recommended when performing home remodeling or painting projects.
  2. Spot ventilation – Keeping humidity, mold and odors under control involves using spot ventilation in the form of exhaust fans. You should install a fan in every bathroom and in the kitchen, and run them during and after cooking or bathing to usher odors and humidity out of the spaces, and to prevent mold growth.
  3. Whole-house ventilation – For comprehensive air circulation regardless of the season, choose a whole-house ventilation system like a heat recovery ventilator (HRV). Using a heat exchanger, fans and vents, the HRV draws outdoor air into the home, while a separate vent exhausts stale indoor air. The two airstreams pass through the HRV without mixing, while the heat exchanger draws energy (either heated or cooled air) from the outgoing air stream, and moves it to the incoming airstream. As a result, the HRV’s operating costs are low, while advancing air circulation and improving indoor air quality.

Aladdin Heating & Cooling is proud to have served Macomb, Farmington Hills, and Southfield since 1945. Contact us today to talk home ventilation, and to improve your home’s air quality.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Detroit, Michigan 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.

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