[Source: Business Extras]
A home ventilation system produces fresh air from the outside and drives out the impure, stale air from inside, in that way providing a healthy living condition for the entire household. It also helps to keep humidity levels under control.
The air flowing in your house is often over-used. This is simply because fresh air gets in only when you open doors or windows. Since today’s homes are made more energy efficient, indoor air quality deteriorates and houses suffocate and drown in toxic air. And because natural air-flow is restricted, these homes struggle to breathe.
[Source: Mother Earth News]
Sealing air leaks and adding insulation are two important ways of conserving energy in your house. But some homes may be so tightly sealed that
they don’t allow in enough fresh air for a healthy environment. To allow adequate fresh air into your house (without using extra energy to heat or cool the fresh air) you might need some type of ventilation system. Energy-recovery ventilators, also known as air heat exchangers, are mechanical ventilation systems that remove stale, polluted air from homes and replace it with fresh outdoor air.
[Source: About.com]
Avoiding home allergy exposures may improve your asthma. More than 5% of Americans have asthma, causing missed days of school, work, and unwanted visits to the ER and hospital. Allergens are one of the most common reasons asthma symptoms flare. Importantly, there are a number of things you can do in your home to prevent your asthma from worsening. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, these 10 things will help keep your asthma in check »
[Source: Auckland Regional Public Health Service]
Good ventilation protects you, your family, and your guests from unpleasant odours, irritating pollutants, and potentially dangerous gases like carbon monoxide. Well-planned ventilation also prevents the growth of mould and mildew, which can cause or aggravate allergic reactions and lung problems such as asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema.
Good ventilation also protects your home from damage, by eliminating excess moisture from the air. Too much moisture rots window sills and attic eaves, peels paint, and invites insect infestation. Damp insulation in walls and ceilings means lost heat, higher fuel bills, and destructive mould growth. Carpeting, wallpaper, electronic equipment, and furniture can all be damaged by excess moisture.
[Source: NZ Herald]
A quarter of a million homes are so cold, damp and poorly built they are causing serious health problems, according to a significant new study.
The problem with the houses – which are poorly insulated, some with black mould and potentially toxic air quality – could cost more than $20 billion to put right, say report authors.
[Source: World Health Organization]
- Homeowners and building managers in the northern hemisphere should take measures, more than ever at this time of year, to improve indoor ventilation in order to reduce radon levels in homes, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned today.