view specials
BOOK ONLINE
Homeowners in Chesapeake, VA, work hard to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Doing so helps to lower the cost of running HVAC equipment and reduces environmental impact. It’s necessary to maintain a tight home envelope and consider insulation improvements. A tight home envelope has the potential to decrease indoor air quality. There are options to solve this problem. You can install a whole-home air purification system or improve your home ventilation setup. There are ways to boost ventilation without significantly harming HVAC efficiency.
Open Windows and Doors
The simplest way to improve ventilation in your home is to open windows and doors whenever possible. You should do so whenever the outdoor temperature is mild enough that you don’t need your heating or cooling equipment. Experts report that opening your windows and doors for as little as five minutes daily will significantly improve indoor air quality. It’s recommended that you leave your windows open for at least 15 minutes per day for more thorough ventilation.
It’s wise to create paths for cross ventilation when you open your windows and doors. You can do this by opening interior doors in your home to help air flow freely from one side to the other. The pressure imbalance between the windy and non-windy sides on breezy days will fill your home with fresh air. On non-breezy days, you can use a box fan pointed outward in one of your windows to create the same effect.
Use Ceiling Fans
Bringing in fresh air from the outdoors by opening windows is a critical way to increase ventilation. However, it won’t guarantee that fresh, clean air reaches every corner of your home. To fix this problem, you can install ceiling fans. Ceiling fans improve air circulation inside rooms, helping to distribute fresh air coming in through your windows or out of your vents and registers. Fans can increase the number of days you can open your windows by decreasing the need for air conditioning. This will help lower your home’s energy bills.
Install a Whole-House Fan
Installing a whole-house fan is another efficient way to improve ventilation in your home. Whole-house fans are installed inside your attic and pull air from around your home to exhaust it to the outside. You can run this fan with doors and windows open for maximum ventilation. Whole-house fans can also cut down on your need for air conditioning even when it’s 80 degrees Fahrenheit outside. This can further improve the energy efficiency of your home while simultaneously improving ventilation. Plus, whole-house fans offer quick cooling action. Some models can lower your home’s temperature by five or more degrees within a few minutes of turning on.
Install a Heat Recovery or Energy Recovery Ventilator
So far, all the ventilation tactics here have applied when you’re not using your HVAC. Opening windows with your HVAC running isn’t ideal because this will be a waste of energy. That’s where heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) and energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) come into play. They’re powered ventilation systems that bring fresh air in from the outdoors without wasting energy. They employ heat exchangers as a barrier between the indoor and outdoor flow of air.
When you use an HRV or an ERV, the system pulls conditioned air from your home and passes it into the heat exchanger. Simultaneously, the system pulls in fresh air from outside and passes it over the heat exchanger. When you have AC equipment on, it cools the incoming fresh air and transfers heat to the exhaust air. When you have the heat on, the opposite happens. As a result, the incoming fresh air is pre-cooled or heated to match the indoor temperature. The difference between an HRV and an ERV is that the former only transfers heat. The latter transfers both heat and humidity. Your home’s indoor humidity needs determine the best option.
Your Local Efficient Comfort Experts
Simmons Heating & Cooling has served the heating and cooling comfort needs of Chesapeake homeowners since 1964. Our staff has decades of combined trade experience addressing your home’s comfort and indoor air quality needs. We’re also Better Business Bureau accredited with an A+ rating. Add that to our ever-growing list of thousands of satisfied customers. Check out some of the entries on our testimonials page to see what our customers think of our work. When you need new ventilation equipment or assistance with indoor air quality solutions in Chesapeake, call Simmons Heating & Cooling.
