It’s Summertime, so why does my house feel so stuffy?
Headaches * Lingering Odors * Loss of Concentration * Fatigue Sound familiar? These are just a few symptoms of poor indoor air quality.
Many people would be surprised to learn that the air quality inside their home is often up to 10 times worse than the air outside.
This problem is aggravated by the increased focus on home energy efficiency. As homeowners upgrade their windows, doors and furnaces they are basically making their homes more airtight. While this is great for energy savings it is bad for air quality. Stale, polluted air and excess humidity become trapped inside your home for you to breathe and re-breathe. It’s like living in a plastic bag.
When indoor ventilation is limited, pollution can accumulate inside, sometimes reaching higher concentrations than what we find outside. This is why it’s important for you to know something about it so you can better protect yourself.
Source: Health Canada, Indoor Pollution and Your Health. www.hc-sc.gc.ca
What can you do?
- Ventilate your home – open the windows and run exhaust fans
- Turn your furnace fan to the “on” position to circulate the air
- Add a HEPA air cleaner with a VOC canister
- Add an HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilator) or ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilator). These air exchangers expel stale polluted air and bring fresh air in from the outside. Your whole home benefits, not just one room where a window might be open.
Note: HRV’s/ERV’s qualify for a $750 ecoENERGY rebate because of their energy efficiency value. In the summertime an ERV prevents the outside humidity and heat from entering your home but does allow fresh air to enter. In the wintertime an HRV transfers heat from the outgoing air to the incoming air before distributing it throughout the home’s existing ductwork.
For more information on Indoor Air Quality please visit www.MetroAir.ca
or send your questions to Valerie@metroair.ca
New Homes, great for energy efficiency, bad for air quality.
