Balanced ventilation systems for your home

ARTICLE Hamish Aitken

As new build homes are being sealed up to be more energy efficient, it means stale air is more likely to be trapped inside; becoming damp and polluted.
Furthermore, indoor air pollutants are ranked among the top five environmental risks to public health. Indoor air is seven times more polluted than outdoor air in many existing homes, and up to 100 times worse in new homes.
Moisture levels can build up and seep into house materials, causing dampness and mould. For most homes, the only way to achieve fresh air ventilation is by opening up windows and doors. This can result in the loss of valuable heat and it can be a security risk.
As a result, a lot of home will not be adequately ventilated, exposing inhabitants to stale polluted air, higher moisture, and lower oxygen levels.
Many Building Codes require buildings to have “adequate ventilation, consistent with their maximum occupancy and their intended use.“
The solution is to use ducted ventilation systems with heat recovery capabilities, which bring fresh air in from outside the building.
The majority of ventilation systems installed in homes are the ‘positive pressure’ type, which pumps air from the roof space.
However, roof space air isn’t fresh and doesn’t satisfy most Building Codes. People buy these systems to reduce their ‘crying windows’, but end up with ‘crying buildings’ instead.
Not only can they force valuable heat out of the house, but can also push moisture into the materials of the building. What’s needed is true fresh air.
Balanced Ventilation systems have two air paths; one that brings in fresh outside are and the other that extracts the stale moist air. A heat exchanger works between these airflows to ensure that the winter warmth is kept inside the home.
Premier Air have cost effective balanced ventilation with true heat recovery for homes. Use these systems to ensure your home is well ventilation without loss of valuable heat or compromised security.

This article by Hamish Aitken featured on page 39 in Issue 012 of Renovate Magazine. Renovate Magazine is an easy to use resource providing fresh inspiration and motivation at every turn of the page.

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*All information is believed to be true at time of publishing and is subject to change.