Home ventilation is one of those home improvements that you don’t hear about very often but is still very important. Why is home ventilation is so important? Home ventilation, especially if you want your home to be energy efficient can help you save money and improve the overall air quality in the home.

Why is home ventilation important?

Saves You Money  —  Home ventilation can save on energy, which directly affects your wallet. Ventilation systems can recover a great percentage of the air that tends to leave your home via energy loss. In the wintertime, ventilation systems can help capture and redistribute heated air, and in the cooler months do the same for cooler air. This helps save on both heating and cooling costs.

Controls Moisture in Your Home — Excess moisture in the air can be detrimental to your home and furniture. It can cause wallpaper and paint to peel, furniture and walls to mold, mildew to occur in vents, and cause structural damage as well. A home ventilation system can help to avoid moisture build-up by always keeping the air moving.

Whole House Cooling — Home ventilation systems can often be used as whole-house cooling systems, which can save you tons in cooling costs. Except in the very hot months, or if you live in a particularly hot climate area, whole-house cooling ventilation systems can keep your home cool for the majority of the year without spending tons on air conditioning.

What are the different kinds of home ventilation?

Natural Ventilation Techniques  — Natural ventilation occurs through vents, cracks, and unsealed openings. You can control natural ventilation by caulking cracks, window and door frames, and other structural weaknesses. Add extra vents to keep the air moving in the direction you want it to.

Fans and vents can be added to keep air moving and help your home’s natural ventilation. While using natural ventilation techniques might not be quite as effective as specialized ventilation systems, it can save you energy and money by supplementing your existing system.

Whole-House Ventilation Systems — If your home does not have adequate natural ventilation, and even adding supplemental vents and fans won’t help enough, there are whole-house ventilation systems that might be exactly what you need. These ventilation systems help to move and disperse air throughout your home and help to prevent energy loss.

These ventilation systems are easily installed, usually with the help of a professional. There are a few different types of whole-house ventilation systems:

* Exhaust — An exhaust-based ventilation system works by pulling the air from around the house into the ventilation system.

* Supply — A supply-based ventilation system works by pushing air out of the ventilation system.

* Balance — A balanced ventilation system works on both an exhaust and supply method, both pulling in air and exhausting it.

* Energy Recovery –Energy recovery ventilation systems can be a bit more expensive to buy and install, but are the most cost-effective when it comes to home ventilation. They are good about not only controlling the air and energy loss but also control air humidity.

Improving your home ventilation system is an important and smart home renovation. You can save money and become more energy efficient with a home ventilation system.