Adequate ventilation and fresh air have more benefits for the occupants of the home than just physical comfort. A sufficient quantity of healthy air is extremely important, as is proper air circulation. This article will address some of the benefits of good air circulation, as well as issues related to creating and/or maintaining good air circulation within the home.

Good air flow provides you and your family with the following benefits:

• Condensation control
• Ensures that using potentially combustible appliances will not be a safety issue
• Removal of airborne pollutants

In order to produce the most energy-efficient results possible, the installation of your heating system, insulation, and overall ventilation must be treated in a group context. The reason for this is that you want to have the most energy-efficient system possible while not compromising your indoor air quality.

In climate regions where the relative humidity is considerably higher than other areas, the most significant problem that results from poor ventilation is mold damage. This becomes quite apparent in bathrooms and kitchens where moisture in the air tends to be greater than in other rooms of the house. Consequently, the HVAC industry now produces a broad assortment of fans for bathrooms and kitchens that help solve the issue.

You can augment and control better air circulation in your home by installing simple ventilation mechanisms to achieve this. The following three-point action plan will help you achieve the air quality goals you are looking for:

• Install extractor fans in key areas of the home such as bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. This enables you to control the expulsion of air in rooms where heavy activity occurs.
• Air conditioning allows for better air quality throughout the home by virtue of automatic regulation (thermostat controllers). Floor and roof ducting installations will help in this area. Sensors and timers can be installed to ensure the system works at the appropriate times.
• In existing homes, proper ducting needs to be in place with a minimum amount of bends and kinks so that the air flow is more efficient. Heat recovery units can make your current HVAC system more efficient. These units operate by recovering heat from the air released outside, and using it to warm up the fresh air that is coming into your home.

One final suggestion – if you want a more energy-efficient ventilation system, be sure to hire the services of a heating and air professional who has a background and is experienced in Building Energy Rated (BER) construction.

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• energy efficient
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