The goal of new-home builders today is to create virtually airtight houses. This prevents the energy waste that occurs because of air leaks in your home’s outer envelope. However, well-sealed homes often require a comprehensive ventilation system. Here’s a look at the three issues of well-sealed homes that proper ventilation counteracts.
Poor indoor air quality
Random air leaks waste energy, but a tight home sacrifices clean indoor air. Everything from carbon dioxide gas to cooking and cleaning fumes to excess moisture gets stuck inside a well-sealed home.
A whole-house ventilation system offers the perfect solution, expelling polluted air reliably and evenly across your entire home and replacing it with fresh air from outside. Plus, an energy recovery ventilator reduces utility costs by preheating or cooling incoming air.
Backdrafting from combustion appliances
Backdrafting, which is when exhausted air from gas appliances is drawn back into your home, is very dangerous. Combustion gases contain carbon monoxide and other harmful fumes that can threaten your family’s health if they get trapped inside. Sealing your home tightly is a great way to prevent backdrafting. A whole-house energy recovery ventilation system, however, brings a controlled amount of preheated or cooled air inside from the freshest location possible (in other words, away from the garage and gas appliance exhaust vents).
High humidity
This problem only affects Western Colorado homeowners in the summer at times when the humidity level rises outside. The best way to counter high indoor humidity is to size your cooling equipment properly and install a comprehensive ventilation system.
A properly sized air conditioner runs long enough to dehumidify the air, unlike an oversized unit that operates in short bursts without eliminating excess humidity. A ventilation system removes moisture generated inside before it can harbor mold growth, which further contributes to poor indoor air quality.
To learn more about the benefits of installing a ventilation system in your Western Colorado home, please contact Climate Control Company today. We have served Aspen and Vail-area residents since 1956.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about comprehensive ventilation systems and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
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