Over time, excess moisture, heat and indoor pollutants can damage your health and your home. Ventilation attenuates these environmental hazards by ensuring adequate air flow to replace stale air with fresh air.
Continuous air circulation moderates indoor temperatures and humidity, and disperses odours, smoke and other airborne particles. It also improves a home’s longevity by reducing the risk of moisture-related structural problems.
If a home is not adequately ventilated, condensation can occur, leading to damp and eventually mould. Damp patches on walls and ceilings allow black mould to proliferate, resulting in musty odours and unsightly stains. If left untreated, your home will become vulnerable to rot, causing serious property damage.
Mould can affect your health too, triggering nasal congestion, respiratory problems and skin and eye irritation, as well as exacerbating asthma and allergy symptoms.
Beyond mould, poor ventilation has a range of other health impacts. Moist, stagnant air provides a breeding ground for dust mites, one of the most common household allergens, and increases the risk of airborne infections.
Finally, there is the very serious health hazard posed by volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These evaporative chemicals are emitted by thousands of household items from paints and solvents to furnishing and cleaning products. It is vital that homeowners take measures to protect themselves from VOCs as long-term exposure can cause significant health problems. Installing efficient ventilation is the most effective way to minimise VOC concentration in the home. A whole-house mechanical ventilation system optimises indoor air quality by providing a continuous flow of filtered fresh air throughout the home.
ERV and HRV Systems
Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) and Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) systems provide continuous airflow to eliminate condensation and improve indoor air quality.*
Both systems are highly energy efficient but they differ in their function. The better choice for depends on your priorities, your home, and the local climate.
These are highly nuanced technologies, but generally, an ERV system is well suited to warm, humid conditions, while HRV systems emphasise heat conservation, making them the better choice in cooler climates or areas that experience pronounced seasonal variation.
Both types very effectively regulate indoor temperatures and humidity, providing a constant stream of fresh, clean air that is comfortably warm in winter and cooling in summer. Utilising advanced filtration, they capture pollutants, allergens, pollen and other contaminants, helping to ensure that only clean and healthy air enters the home.
If you want to know more about ventilation, including costs, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are experts in the sustainability field and love to answer your questions, especially our very own, Certified Passive House Designer and Consultant, Carole Haurd!
*Additional terms used are Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR).
