When the summer heat hits Oklahoma, it is vital that your home is properly sealed. If not, cooled air will flow out and hot air will infiltrate your home, greatly increasing the demand on your air conditioner and costing you a ton on energy bills. But you still need fresh, clean air to keep your home healthy. That's where your ventilation system comes into play.Proper and adequate ventilation:
Removes pollutants - Over time, pollutants and toxins will make their way into your home and they need to be removed. Quality ventilation equipment exchanges your interior air for outside air at the recommended rate of roughly 15 cubic feet per person per minute.
Balances moisture - Humidity levels in your home are critical to your comfort. If there is too much moisture, you will feel uncomfortable and set your thermostat higher during the summer. That means your A/C has to run longer and you have to pay for more energy.
There are three strategies for ventilating your home:
Natural ventilation - Older homes had natural ventilation because they were not airtight, so air flowed in and out fairly easily. That was good for bringing in fresh air, but bad for controlling cooling costs. You can naturally ventilate your home by opening windows or doors, but this is not a reliable way to balance humidity and remove pollutants.
Whole-house ventilation - These systems are becoming more popular. They use vents and fans throughout your home to work in conjunction with your thermostat and A/C unit to maintain the needed air exchange rates consistently.
Spot ventilation - Fans and vents are placed in areas where moisture, heat and pollutants are concentrated. Bathroom fans, exhaust fans and oven vents are examples of spot ventilation that remove air before it reaches other parts of the house.
To speak with an HVAC expert about ventilating your home, contact Air Assurance. With over 25 years of service to Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas, we can help you find the best equipment and strategies.Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Air Assurance services Tulsa, Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our current promotions and get started today