The most energy-efficient HVAC systems and homes sometimes achieve their efficiency by tightly sealing the home. This is fantastic for keeping in cool or heated air, but it’s a big IAQ problem if the system isn’t properly ventilated. Without good ventilation, the air inside your Bath, PA house can become stale and hold in moisture and indoor pollutants. This means that the HVAC system has to work harder to keep the temperature steady, especially in summer.
Proper ventilation is key. Here are four ways ventilation will provide an improvement in your indoor air quality that will also help your HVAC system work more efficiently and conserve energy.
Indoor Humidity Reduction
A tightly sealed house is great for preventing cooled air from escaping during the summer. But that tight sealing also prevents moisture from leaving the house, which increases the humidity inside your home. If you start feeling increased humidity in your house during summer, you’ll probably think your AC isn’t on high enough. To combat the hot, sticky feeling, most homeowners turn down the thermostat, which forces the HVAC system to work harder and uses up more energy.
Proper ventilation in your home will remedy the humidity problem, meaning you can leave your thermostat at the recommended energy-saving 78 degrees in summer without feeling too sticky or hot inside. Make sure to get HVAC maintenance, too, to help control humidity.
Mold Control
While Pennsylvania residents may not have to worry about the year-round humidity of more southerly climates, mold growth is still an issue, especially in summer. If your house doesn’t have good ventilation and moisture gets sealed in, that creates a welcoming environment for mold to grow. Mold loves high humidity, and mold in your house is dangerous for your health and for the structure of your home.
Not only will mold spores clog your HVAC air filters (which force the system to work harder to push air through, reducing efficiency,) they’re also culprits in asthma flare-ups, sinus congestion, and allergic reactions. The right ventilation combined with good maintenance will keep conditions in your home unfriendly for mold growth and will filter out mold spores from your air.
Pollutant Improvement
Moisture isn’t the only thing your tightly sealed house is trapping inside. Dust, dust mites, pet dander, pet fur, and other allergens can get trapped in the air inside your home. Combine that with the pollen that comes in on your shoes and clothes and your air can quickly become a source of irritation for any allergy sufferers in your house. On top of that, you may be breathing in formaldehyde, radon, carbon monoxide, and pesticides. When your house is tightly sealed these pollutants don’t have anywhere to go.
When you ventilate your home, the stale air containing these pollutants is removed. Proper ventilation keeps the air inside your house clean so pollutants don’t have a chance to build up. This is a serious improvement for your home’s IAQ.
Energy Efficiency Boosts
For great home ventilation and good energy savings, consider having an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) installed. Energy recovery ventilators are designed to provide energy efficiency by using existing energy created by your HVAC system’s expelled air to run. ERVs are great because they cool and dehumidify in the summer, and when Pennsylvania gets cold again ERVs humidify and heat the air instead.
ERVs take a significant amount of pressure off your HVAC system. Since some ERVs are up to 80 percent energy efficient they don’t cost much to run, and your HVAC system won’t have to work as hard cooling and heating, since the ERV already provides cooled or heated air. Overall you’ll save money on energy costs, reduce your carbon footprint, and get proper ventilation in your home to improve IAQ.
The professionals at Sullivan Oil & Propane are here to advise you on the best ways to ventilate your home. Improve your home’s IAQ and reduce energy consumption with the right system and proper installation. Keep things properly maintained, and you’ll be breathing clean air no matter what the Pennsylvania weather throws at you. Call Sullivan Oil & Propane at (610) 810-3992 for a consultation.
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