Good air quality is essential to a healthy, comfortable home to reduce stuffiness and maintain the health of occupants. It is also essential to deal with excessive humidity, which, if not controlled, can lead to condensation, damp, mould and health problems (eg respiratory illnesses). Cooking, showering and drying clothes inside can all lead to a build up of humidity that needs to be removed.
Draughty homes have lots of air coming in, in an uncontrolled way . As well as making the home uncomfortable and cold, this wastes huges amounts of energy and is an inefficient form of ventilation.
Creating airtight homes by eliminating draughts is an important part of creating warm and comfortable homes. However, we also need to make sure we have adequate ventilation to reduce stuffiness and remove humidity.
As the airtightness in our homes improves we need to look carefully at ventilation to maintain good air quality.
As homes move from draughty to airtight, you will need to develop a ventilation strategy – using some of the following solutions:
Any change to the airtightness of your building might have implications for any ‘open-flued’ appliances (gas, oil, solid fuel). If in doubt, consult a suitably qualified professional. For safety’s sake, in any home – leaky or airtight – remember to put carbon monoxide monitors near any open flued gas boilers, cooking appliances or fires! These are often be supplied free of charge by utility companies etc.
If you have any enquiries regarding MVHR for retrofit situations, please ring our MVHR Design Service on 01484 461705.
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