Why an Energy-Efficient Residence Can Influence Air Quality and How to Improve It
Homes today are designed with energy efficiency in mind. This entails added insulation and tightly sealed doors and windows to keep utility expenses affordable. While this is great for your energy costs, it’s not so good for your indoor air quality.
As air has reduced chances to escape, pollutants can accumulate and decrease your house’s indoor air quality. In actuality, your house’s air can actually be 2–5 times worse than the outdoors, according to the EPA. That’s not good for anyone, but it’s specifically detrimental for relatives with allergies, asthma, other respiratory disorders or heart disease.
Let’s review some of these routine contaminants and how you can enhance your residence’s indoor air quality.
6 Routine Pollutants that Influence Indoor Air Quality
When you visualize pollutants, you may think about smog or tobacco smoke. But many substances that impact your air quality are normal items. These things have chemicals referred to as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.
They entail:
- Cleaning products, including aerosol sprays, bleach and window cleaner.
- Personal care products, such as hairspray, perfume and nail products.
- Candles and air fresheners.
- Formaldehyde, which is commonly used in plastic, foam and particleboard products.
- Furniture, window treatments and carpet, especially when they’re brand new.
- Paints and stains.
Other everyday pollutants include:
- Dust
- Pet dander
- Pollen
- Mold
Symptoms of VOC Exposure
Some people are more sensitive to VOCs than others. The EPA says symptoms of VOC exposure include:
- Irritated eyes, nose or throat
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
In bad situations, the EPA says VOCs can cause respiratory and heart diseases.
4 Ways to Boost Your Home’s Indoor Air Quality
It isn’t hard to enhance your home’s air quality. Here are a few ideas from Harvard Medical School:
1. Clean Your House Regularly
Routinely cleaning and washing surfaces that attract allergens, such as furniture, carpet and bedding, will help reduce on dust, dust mites and pet dander in your house.
2. Regularly Replace Your Air Filter
This important filter keeps your residence comfy and air clean. How often you should change your air filter depends on the type of filter you install. Flat filters should be changed every month, while pleated filters should be replaced every three months. If you’re unsure if your filter should be replaced, remove it and tilt it to the light. Get a new one if you can’t see light through it.
If someone in your house deals with allergies or asthma, we recommend choosing a filter with a better MERV rating. The bigger the number this is, the better your filter is at eliminating contaminants.
3. Enhance Natural Ventilation
Keep fresh air moving by opening windows whenever the temperature allows. We also advise using exhaust fans in your bathroom and kitchen as much as possible to eliminate pollutants and draw in more fresh air.
4. Call Our Indoor Air Quality Pros
From whole-home air purifiers, Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning has a resolution to help your household breathe more freely. We’ll help you select the ideal option during your free home comfort assessment. Give us a call at 954-736-4314 to request yours right away!
