Today’s tighter homes, while often much more efficient that older, less insulated homes, still have their own needs for maintaining that coveted efficiency. One of the most important aspects to maintaining an energy-efficient home is keeping it well ventilated. Exhausting old, stale air and tempering incoming air with a minimal footprint is optimal. Here are three specific reasons you need to keep your house well ventilated.
Roof Longevity
Attic and roof ventilation can dramatically improve the longevity of your shingles. Without ventilation, condensation can build during both warm and cold months. Specifically, during colder months research has shown that effective ventilation of a roof covered with snow, which acts as an insulator by trapping moisture within the roof shingles themselves, will both improve the life of the shingle and the roof itself. Additionally, ventilating an attic and a roof will help minimize condensation caused by ice damming and will further prolong the life of the roof. Though ideally, there are additional preventative measures that need to be taken to avoid leakage into a home when ice damming occurs.
Mold Prevention
One of the most overlooked ways to preserve the value of a home is ensuring proper ventilation of the attic and basement. Without proper attic ventilation, in both warm weather and cold, a house will have to combat condensation. Unchecked condensation can lead to mold and mold will greatly reduce the value of your home. In addition, mold, which is not always visible and can readily grow silently behind and inside walls, especially in damp areas, causing strong allergic reactions and even neurological damage.
Mold is extremely damaging to a house and remediation is expensive, time consuming and disruptive. Yet, there are several basic steps that the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention specifically recommend to keep your house mold-free.
*Keep humidity levels between 40% and 60%
*Use a de-humidifier if levels are above 55%
*Keep attics, as well as kitchens and bathrooms and basements properly ventilated
*Replace soaked carpets and keep carpets out of typically damp environments
*Monitor your HVAC system for signs of mold
*If you find mold, act quickly to address the issue
HVAC Efficiency
Many homeowners are concerned with the overall efficiency of their homes. Minimizing expenses is in direct correlation to the efficiency of the HVAC system. Keeping your HVAC system ventilation balanced increases its efficiency and therefore can help minimize the cost of heating and cooling your home.
An efficient HVAC system keeps the exchange of indoor air and outdoor air properly balanced. Air exchangers can contain a “heat exchanger core” that utilizes the heating or cooling energy in the outgoing air to help heat or cool the incoming air. This process helps to minimize cooling or heating the incoming air, and therefore is a more efficient and less costly system.
If you have questions about maintaining the efficiency of your home as we approach the warmer months, don’t [contact us to schedule a consultation](link).
Tate Livelsberger