New houses are more energy efficient than ever. While this is excellent for keeping your heating and cooling bills small, it’s not so good for bringing adequate fresh air inside.
Recently constructed residences are tightly sealed, which shows they don’t “breathe” like older homes do. Subsequently, your residence can appear to smell stale, feel too humid or experience troubles with condensation. If you have allergy or asthma sufferers in your family, they might complain of increasing symptoms.
Fortunately, it’s not complicated to enhance the ventilation in your home in Tomball. Most of the answers that we’ll go over shortly are simple and reasonably priced.
1. Open Windows and Screened Doors
This is the simplest approach to get fresh air into your home during pleasant temps. But it’s important to know this usually isn’t a year-round solution and can cause problems if someone in your home has seasonal allergies. If this applies to you, you shouldn’t open windows during the early morning. That’s when the pollen counts are the greatest, according to Mayo Clinic. You also shouldn’t open them during dry, windy weather, as the weather can worsen allergies.
2. Turn on Exhaust Fans in Your Kitchen and Bathrooms
Running these fans eliminates stale air, excess moisture, odors and other indoor pollutants. They’re also economical to run. An exhaust fan costs about $7-$15 annually in electricity if you were to run it 24/7, according to the Center for Energy and the Environment (CEE).
If you want to do this, the CEE recommends looking for an ENERGY STAR® ventilation fan that delivers quiet, continuous operation. These fans frequently are equipped with a sensor that will trigger then to run automatically when humidity is too elevated, so you won’t have to make a note to turn it on or off.
However, it’s essential to be aware that an exhaust fan can undesirably impact your house’s temperature, since it’s exhausting air that you’ve already heated or cooled.
3. Keep Your House’s Humidity Even
The right humidity level for your residence is between 30–50%, according to Mayo Clinic. While the correct amount of humidity won’t enhance ventilation, it can improve your residence’s indoor air quality and keep your residence comfy at a more energy-efficient temp.
If humidity isn’t high enough, you might have dry skin, a scratchy throat or itchy eyes. Dry air can also impact wood flooring and furnishings in your house, causing them to crack. On the flip side, humidity that’s too great can make air feel stale or stuffy. It can also result in mold and mildew growth and worsen allergies or asthma.
The wisest method to keep humidity regulated is with a whole-home solution. We sell humidifiers and dehumidifiers that work with your heating and cooling system. You won’t have to lug an inefficient portable system around your home, spilling water as you move.
It’s also crucial to be aware the correct humidity level can also make air more pleasant at an energy-efficient setting, helping you pay less on heating and cooling expenses.
4. Install a Ventilation System
Adding a mechanical ventilation system is one of the top ways to introduce more fresh air into your house throughout the year. There are two different kinds—heat recovery ventilation (HRV) and energy recovery ventilation (ERV). These systems constantly remove musty indoor air and replace it with fresh outdoor air.
HRV is ideal for chilly climates, since it keeps the heat from the indoor air it lets out. ERV is fantastic for warm areas, since it draws out warmth and moisture from your air. Some climates can benefit from both systems, so talk with our Premium Air Services LLC ventilation pros about what’s best for your Tomball residence.
If stuffy or ongoing odors are trouble in your residence, you can also get a whole-house air purification system. These systems offer an additional level of filtration, which can also help with reducing pet dander, allergens and bacteria in your house.
Our ventilation pros are here to help you select the ideal option for your residence. Contact us at 713-364-9957 today for a free, no-obligation home comfort assessment. We’ll visually inspect your existing equipment and learn about your needs prior to offering our recommendations on the right possibilities to boost ventilation in your home.