Home ventilation: everything you need to know about proper ventilation

Home ventilation defines the way air circulates between the rooms of the home, but also between the home and the outside environment. HVAC, the abbreviation known everywhere for “Heat, Ventilation and Air Conditioning”, represents the technology of indoor comfort of the home, to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. 

A correct, efficient ventilation system that suits the needs of the home helps with optimal air circulation, air purification, keeping dust, allergens and unpleasant odors at bay, controlling humidity and maintaining fresh air in the home.

Home ventilation, whether natural or produced by other mechanical means, such as an air conditioner, if effective, removes dust and allergens from the home, ensuring the health and comfort of the family. In addition, it controls humidity levels, ensuring a life without rooms that are uncomfortably dry or damaged due to excessive humidity.

Types of home ventilation: advantages and disadvantages

Depending on the age of the house, the climate in which it was built, or the special needs of the residents, natural, mechanical ventilation, or a combination of these can be used.

Natural ventilation of the house 

Natural home ventilation uses all the gaps and cracks in the house, along with windows and other passive openings, such as spaces under doors or between doors and frames, to allow air to move freely throughout the home. These are common in older homes and are often sufficient to dilute air pollutants in rooms and maintain a habitable environment.

The main advantage of this type of ventilation is its low cost and the fact that it is already present in most homes from the design stage.

However, there are many disadvantages , starting with the fact that this ventilation is uncontrolled and the airing is not uniform. When it comes to controlling the temperature in the rooms, the system can become particularly expensive. Moreover, the system is not sufficient to eliminate pollutants from the air.

Mechanical ventilation of the house

Mechanical ventilation uses equipment such as fans, air conditioners, hoods, and ventilation systems installed throughout the building to move air around the home. Since many new homes, designed with energy efficiency principles, are built airtight to ensure energy savings, the need to install mechanical ventilation systems arises.

Mechanical ventilation systems ensure uniform ventilation of the entire home, while the air is purified through the use of filters. Also, a great advantage is that you can opt for integrated systems for the entire house or for ventilation of a single room. Furthermore, mechanical equipment can be integrated into heating and cooling systems, such as air conditioning units.

The main disadvantage of this equipment is its relatively large volume and significant energy consumption, being more expensive than natural ventilation. Also, an aspect that many people forget to take into account is the air conditioner, because over time a thick layer of dust and dirt accumulates on the internal components of the air conditioner, a very favorable environment for the development of bacteria, fungi and mold.

Mixed house ventilation

Mixed ventilation is used in most new homes. Even homes in colder climates that rely heavily on natural ventilation for cooling use mechanical ventilation to remove excess pollutants and high humidity from these environments. This system is very common in most homes, which, even if they rely on natural ventilation systems, are equipped with hoods in kitchens and exhaust fans in bathrooms.

The main advantage of these systems is that they ensure complete and homogeneous ventilation throughout the home, regardless of the season. Furthermore, significant amounts of money can be saved by using mechanical ventilation only where and when necessary.

The only disadvantage is that natural ventilation in the home may not be sufficient during seasons with high allergy risks.

How often should an apartment be ventilated?

If we take into account that humans constantly exhale carbon dioxide, it is necessary to ventilate the home every day. During the summer, with a favorable environment outside, you can not close the window at all, but if, however, you have noise, dust or colder weather outside, you can limit yourself to airing lasting 20-30 minutes, which you should do at least twice a day, in the morning and in the evening, and also in the middle of the day, if there is intense work, physical or intellectual, taking place in the room.

In winter, permanently closed windows and low temperatures can lead to condensation, which can lead to mold on furniture, books, and walls. During winter, it is better to limit the time you air your room to 10-15 minutes, at least twice a day, in the morning after waking up and in the evening before going to bed. 

It is also beneficial to monitor the carbon dioxide level in the room and ventilate it whenever the CO2 level exceeds 800 ppm. The only problem is that fresh air will cool the room, which leads to additional expenses for heating the home or using an additional mechanical ventilation system.

The specifics of proper ventilation depend on the type of room

When we talk about how much ventilation your home needs, we should not only consider the season, but also the type of room. Bedrooms should be very well ventilated because the microclimate in which you sleep largely determines how you will wake up in the morning.

Also, for rooms with high humidity, such as kitchens and bathrooms, a constant flow of air is recommended because high humidity can lead to mold formation, which is not needed.

How to improve air quality in your home

The simplest method is to open all the windows to the ventilation position. It would be recommended to leave the windows wide open only if they overlook the park or a quiet courtyard, without too much noise and dust. Because all the windows are fully open, in summer the duration of ventilation depends on the weather and personal preferences, and in winter it should not exceed 2-3 minutes.

In order not to create problems for more sensitive people, a good solution would be to ventilate the rooms one by one. The rapid exchange of air will not allow the room to cool down during the winter, and breathing will become much easier.

By far the most efficient method of ventilating your home is to use a heat recovery ventilation system, which, in addition to bringing fresh air into the home and removing stale air, will retain the heat of the air in the room, which translates into savings on heating costs in winter or, in summer, by keeping the interior cool. Such a system is independent and can operate permanently, meaning it can bring fresh air into the home at all times.