Why Home Ventilation Is Good For You

Ventilation is about aiding air flow in your home. It facilitates excess moisture and airborne impurities to escape. As it does this, it also allows clean and fresh air to get drawn into the home. A well-designed home ventilation system provides cooling during summer while in winter it lets out stale air but keeps the warmth in. With good quality ventilation, your home will become drier, healthier and much more comfortable.

To have an effective ventilation system in your home will depend largely on the size, type and the placement of your windows, doors and any other openings in the house. With a good ventilation design, you’ll be able to control the air circulation, instead of getting draughts. An excellent design will this will help you save on energy costs.

Does Ventilation Really Matter?

Poor ventilation permits many airborne pollutants and excess moisture to build up within your residence. This could cause health complications like asthma for the entire household. Moisture could also damage the structure of your house and also make it uncomfortable for habitation.

When planning your ventilation system, you need to be aware of a number of Australian building code requirements. For example, the Building Code of Australia (BCA) states that you should have windows which are equal in their total size to at least 10 per cent of the house floor space. The BCA takes into considerations the recommendations contained in the ASHRAE Standards 62.2 – Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings, published in the ASHRAE Handbook. ASHRAE is a global society that promotes the well-being of humans through sustainable technology.

When Is The Right Time To Consider Ventilation?

International Code Council’s Section 403 – Mechanical Ventilation recommends that when mechanical home ventilation is being employed, specific ventilation rates get calculated based on the occupancy and building structure type. This is covered under the International Mechanical Code.

There are certain conditions which are most opportune or make it most suitable to consider the ventilation of your home:

– When Planning Or Renovating Your Home

If you’re in the process of renovating or building, ventilation ought to be considered quite early during the stage of designing. A good ventilation design should be able to strike a right balance between your need of introducing healthy fresh air into the home and your need of maintaining comfy temperatures within. Therefore, ventilation ought to be considered together with passive cooling and passive heating options. For instance, if you only consider home heating without thinking about ventilation, you could end up with a house that’s pretty warm although not as comfortable or healthy to live in.

– During And After The Construction Of Your House

During the process of construction and for a couple of weeks after that, you’ll require to offer good ventilation so as to minimize exposing your family to harmful airborne pollutants like formaldehyde coming from new materials used in construction.

– Improving Your Current Home

Ventilation could be improved in your present home without having to make significant alterations. For example, to move a window or a door, or to completely remove an internal wall may make a considerable difference.

Lastly, for your ventilation to perform as effectively as it ought to, your home must be well insulated. It is only when the entire place is well insulated that you will be to control the ventilation.