Windows and Passive Ventilation

Studies have shown that the indoor air in the average American home is often of lower quality than the air outside. Many things can contribute to poor indoor air quality, including dirty carpets and rugs, old appliances, cooking, and even damaged home components. For instance, if your home is in dire need of a roof replacement due to an old and leaky roof, it’s highly likely that mold and mildew are present in your attic and other parts of your home.

While it’s important to get to the root of the problem that’s causing your indoor air quality to nosedive, you can also do something now to freshen your home interiors to a certain degree. And that involves passive ventilation.

How Passive Ventilation Is Achieved

Opening windows, doors, louvers, vents and others allows fresh air to enter your home and push the stale or polluted air out. Doing this also releases trapped hot air to be replaced by cooler air, making your home more comfortable.

You can even achieve passive ventilation in the winter season without letting too much heat escape, and that’s with the use of properly designed passive ventilation.

It’s also important to achieve passive ventilation when home improvement projects are underway. This way, whatever pollutants, dust, and other airborne debris are set in motion by all the work can be released outside. Of course, if you are working with home exterior remodeling companies, it’s probably best to carefully pick which fenestrations you should open at any given time so you don’t invite more particles into your home.

Passive ventilation allows you to cool your home naturally, without the use of energy.

Can a Home Be Designed to Achieve Passive Ventilation?

Yes. The best thing about designing your home for passive ventilation is you don’t have to do much. You just need to open and close some windows, doors, vents, or other openings to ensure better indoor air quality and temperatures. Open large windows facing the breeze, then open higher windows on the opposing wall to allow hot air to escape.

Some Things to Consider

• The area of windows that can be opened to the outside for each living space should be at least 5% of the floor area
• More than 5% is ideal if the room is exposed to plenty of moisture, such as a bathroom or a kitchen
• More than 5% is also ideal for rooms that experience frequent use, such as bedrooms and living rooms
• Ventilate for at least 15 minutes every day or at least five times a week
• For cool breezes, open south and east side windows
• For better air movement, open north and west side windows
• Make sure your roof has ample ventilation
• Soffit vents combined with ridge vents are effective
• To prevent drafts, use built-in vents, slots, gaps, louvers, and other low-level vents
• For multi-story homes, opening the windows in the upper floors allows heat to escape faster
• Installing bug screens on at least some windows will allow you to leave some windows open at night. Make sure, however, that these windows cannot be used as entrances for intruders.

Triangle Home Exteriors can help you determine the best way to ventilate your home. We are also expert siding contractors. Get in touch with us today at (919) 615-1101 or send us a message. We’ll set your appointment in Durham, NC.