Northern Virginia homes are tightly sealed to keep hot air out in summer and cold air out in winter. A tightly sealed building uses less energy for cooling and heating while reducing the workload on your AC or furnace. The only problem is that tightly sealed buildings tend to have stale and stuffy air.
Proper Ventilation Improves Indoor Air Quality and Supports Good Health
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is a measurement of how much fresh air is circulating in an indoor space. IAQ also measures indoor air pollution. You might be surprised to learn that indoor air can be loaded with contaminants that can cause health problems. Without proper ventilating and sufficient filtering, indoor air in a tightly sealed home can become significantly more polluted than the air outside. Most residential HVAC systems do not directly provide fresh outdoor air. The only way fresh air can enter your home is through windows, doors, cracks and leaks. During the hot summers and cold winters when air conditioners and furnaces work overtime, indoor ventilation is even further reduced. The result is poor indoor air quality that can negatively impact the well-being of everyone in the house.
How Can I Ventilate My Northern Virginia Home and Improve My IAQ?
There are several ways to ventilate your home and get rid of airborne contaminants that can adversely affect health:
- Have your indoor air professionally tested for contaminants
- Invest in HVAC filters with MERV ratings of 7-13
- Purchase a high-tech air filtration system or an electronic air cleaning system
- Add an upflow energy recovery ventilator to your air conditioning system
- Purchase an HVAC system that is fitted with a mechanical ventilator
To learn more about how an energy recovery ventilator and a modern air purification system can clean up the air in your Northern Virginia home this summer, check out Commonwealth Cooling & Heating’s state-of-the-art air cleaners and ventilation systems or call 703-436-8028.
Additionally, you may also be interesting learning more about summer’s most common air conditioning repair, capacitor breakdown.
