Ventilation for Healthier Homes

As you think about the different items on your home maintenance checklist, don’t forget the importance of proper ventilation. With the amount of time we spend indoors, especially in fall and winter months, clean fresh air is essential to the health of our homes and families.

But how can you tell if your home is properly ventilated? Sometimes it’s easy—the air might seem stale or stuffy, or you might experience lingering odors. Sometimes it’s harder to notice and you might need expert help. If you aren’t sure if your home is properly ventilated, a home energy assessment can help you quickly spot any issues in your home. And Focus on Energy can help you save on ventilation improvements that:

• Protect you from allergens and pollutants
• Control moisture issues and prevent mold and mildew
• Allow a proper exchange of healthy fresh air

Here are three ways to improve ventilation and indoor air quality:

• Spot ventilation: Install a bath or kitchen fan near a moisture or pollution source.
• Whole-house ventilation: Use a bath fan or a fresh-air-intake on the furnace along with a controller to provide fresh air.
• Heat recovery or energy recovery ventilation: Make whole-house ventilation part of your heating system.

When making ventilation improvements, you’ll want to watch out for backdrafting of combustion appliances, overventilation, and pollutants from an attached garage leaking into your home, so it might be worth consulting a professional.

Are you ready for a healthier home? We can help you find a Trade Ally contractor at focusonenergy.com/findatradeally.

Posted February 2019

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