Fresh air is an important part of keeping your home’s indoor air quality protected. Natural ventilation helps draw fresh air into your home, but just how often is it needed? Here’s a closer look at how you can incorporate natural ventilation into your home to maximize your HVAC system and protect your indoor air quality.
Benefits of Natural Ventilation
Before discussing how frequently you need natural ventilation, first consider the benefits it brings. Natural ventilation prevents the air inside your home from becoming stagnant. In an era when building envelopes are sealed tight to help create greater system efficiency, ventilation doesn’t happen naturally. This can create problems with indoor air quality, because allergens and pollutants get trapped inside the property. Letting fresh air in, either by opening a window or by creating HVAC designs that incorporate natural ventilation, helps prevent this problem.
How Often Should You Ventilate Your Home?
If you’re concerned about indoor air quality, you should ventilate your home daily. Opening your window for even just five minutes a day gives you enough fresh air to reduce the indoor air pollutants in your home. You should do this every day of the year, even on very cold days. Five minutes will not impact your overall comfort much, but it will make a big difference to the indoor air quality in your home. While the window is open, use the ceiling fan to draw in air more effectively.
Make it a habit to open a window once per day in your home, regardless of the weather. Tie this action to some other daily activity, such as doing the dishes or cooking dinner. Soon it will be part of your daily routine, and you will enjoy the benefits of improved indoor air quality.
Do you have other questions about how you can improve your home’s indoor air quality? Reach out to Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing for all of your Indianapolis HVAC and indoor air quality needs.
