Ventilation
Ventilation improves air quality by allowing air to circulate through a home, creating a situation where stale and polluted air exits via windows, vents, extraction fans or other opening, and fresh air enters.
Ventilation is an important factor in any home as it creates and increases good air quality.
Airtightness
Airtightness is important in managing energy consumption in a building.
The more airtight a building is (weather sealed with less air leakage and drafts) the less heating and cooling you’re losing through the building envelope.
Balancing ventilation & airtightness
Airtightness helps to seal the building envelope and make it more efficient however, it limits the amount of natural ventilation within the building which may result in poor air quality. Poor at quality can lead to an increase in allergies, brain fog and lethargy.
A HRV system (Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilator), windows or an air extraction fan can assist a home that is well sealed and airtight.
How a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) works:
Modern houses are generally weather sealed making the inside air laden with moisture and pollutants created from the daily activities of its occupants. The installation of an air exchanger inside the house will remove stale and polluted air (from cleaning products, natural gases, cooking by-products, pets etc) from the house to the outside and replace it by an equivalence of fresh air.
There are times when ventilation through open windows is not always ideal, especially during the colder months when you are trying to keep your premises warm.
The use of an energy efficient heat recovery ventilator will help to maintain a fresh ambiance and help to recover up to 90% of the warmth created inside. With an ever-increasing demand for building air tightness for improved energy efficiency, effective ventilation is also necessary for improving indoor air quality and the protection of building structures from fungal growth.
You can read more information about the HRV system here.
