If it’s a healthier indoor environment you’re after, then you should consider how airtightness and ventilation affect your home. Not entirely sure what these aspects are and why they’re important? Then this post is for you.
What Do We Mean by Airtightness and Ventilation in the Home?
The key differences and uses of airtightness and ventilation are actually not as complex as you might think. Here’s how to make sense of them and apply it on your property.
Ventilation
Essentially, ventilation happens when you intentionally introduce outdoor air into a building. Usually done by opening doors and windows or through a dedicated system, such as a roof ventilation system. For homes to maintain healthy levels of indoor air quality, ventilation is crucial. Proper ventilation increases oxygen levels and at the same time displaces and dilutes airborne pollutants and carbon dioxide.
Airtightness
In contrast, where ventilation lets air in, airtightness limits the amount of air seeping into a building unintentionally. With airtightness, the goal is to keep the air inside.
You might think that it’s as simple as closing windows and doors. However, it’s important to note that not all doors and windows seal properly. Other areas that air can seep in include the following:
- Poorly fitted floorboards
- Gaps around ceiling insulation
- Unsealed air vents or exhaust fans
Why Are They an Important Consideration For Your Property?
Creating the perfect balance between ventilation and airtightness is important in every home and office space.
Proper ventilation is crucial for maintaining a healthy home, while ensuring that it is airtight (i.e., minimizing or eliminating air leaks) can enhance thermal comfort and energy efficiency. However, if a home that is too airtight and lacks the sufficient amount of ventilation this can lead to problems such as condensation, mould, and elevated levels indoor pollutants.
Therefore, it’s essential to strike a balance between these two factors, in order to maintain an airtight property that promotes thermal comfort and energy efficiency without compromising the quality of indoor air.
Our Recommendations for Ensuring Airtightness and Ventilation in Your Space
Depending on your current home setup, it can be challenging to find the perfect balance between the right amount of airtightness and ventilation. Fortunately, we have a few recommendations that will help to ensure optimal management of your indoor air quality.
For ventilation:
- Let our team assess your space for a roof ventilation system—this will ensure that your home is ventilated year around, even when you’re not home to open windows or doors.
- Enhance natural ventilation by opening windows and doors, especially in spaces where there’s cooking, appliances, or new furniture and carpets that may emit toxins.
- Many Australians opt for the benefits of a whole house fan to improve the air quality in their homes or commercial spaces. By extracting stale air and instantly cooling your home, these fans are also excellent for reducing AC costs.
For airtightness:
- Arrange an air leak audit to determine the amount of airtightness in your space. On average, many old Australian homes have an air leak of 30 air changes per hour at 50 pascals (Pa). Newer homes have an airtightness of 15.4 air changes per hour at 50 pascals (Pa). This shows that older homes need more attention.
- You may have to consider adding internal sealing to any gaps in your home.
- Add airlocks to external openings in rooms such as laundries and mud rooms.
- Insulate the underside of any raised floors by using insulative membranes.
- Add draught-proofing strips and hinges to existing windows and doors.
How Can You Speak to An Expert?
The good news is that the experts at Solatube are just a phone call away. Simply arrange a consultation and they will recommend the best ventilation or fan system for your unique space. They will help you maintain air balance, all year round!
Call Solatube on 13 16 19 to arrange a quick and easy consult. Getting a QUOTE to boost the comfort of your home has never been easier. You’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!