Home Ventilation Methods That Keep You Cool and Boost IAQ

Adequate ventilation should be a concern year-round in your Stafford, Texas, home. During the cold winter months and the sweltering summers in our area, our homes are tightly sealed to keep that conditioned air in, and to prevent it from being affected by outside air. However, keeping windows and doors closed affects ventilation and subsequently your indoor air quality (IAQ). Sufficient ventilation moderates indoor humidity and keeps the indoor air fresh.

Natural Ventilation

When temperatures outside are favorable, open your windows. Opening windows to create a cross breeze is a simple example of this type of home ventilation, which uses natural air currents. Because methods that rely on the wind don’t work on still days, buoyancy-driven ventilation is often a more effective choice. This type of system is based on the tendency for warm air to rise. It uses wind turbines or other roof vents to let rising warm, stale indoor air out, as well as vents on the ground floor to let fresh outdoor air in.

Whole-House Fans

This large fan is installed in the floor of your attic, usually over a hallway, and it can be turned on at night to exhaust hot indoor air through the attic while simultaneously drawing cool outdoor air in through open windows. If your cooling needs are moderate, one of these fans can substitute for an air conditioner. Better yet, they use less energy than an air conditioner. They are most effective in low-humidity locations, though, so they’re not well suited for every home in our area.

Balanced Ventilation

These systems use both exhaust fans that are usually located in the kitchen and bath alongside supply fans that are typically located in the living room and bedrooms and connected by a duct system. This ensures equal amounts of fresh air supplied and stale air removed no matter what the weather. A heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system also transfers heat between the incoming and outgoing air streams, minimizing your heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter. An energy recovery ventilator (ERV) transfers both heat and moisture. This is especially useful in the southeast’s humid climate.

Contact Conditioned Air Mechanical HVAC Services at (281) 561-6911 to learn more about our home ventilation solutions. We also provide other indoor quality products. Call us today!