Beacon

It’s simple: a well-ventilated home has healthier occupants. It’s something New Zealanders are slowly coming to grips with.

The fact is we spend more time indoors in our homes than anywhere else, yet the air inside our homes can be far from healthy.  For a healthy indoor environment air must be allowed to circulate.

Many of our newer homes are tightly sealed.  Although a well-sealed home keeps the heat in over winter, it also restricts air movement, trap moisture and toxins inside, and encourage overheating in summer. For a healthy indoor environment air must be allowed to circulate and moisture must be able to escape.

Moisture in the home can lead to mould which, as well as being unsightly, has been linked to asthma and respiratory illnesses.  Indoor moisture is undesirable for another reason: heating.  Wet air is simply more difficult to heat; a lot more energy is required to keep the house warm.

Venting to the outside is particularly important for the laundry, bathroom and kitchen. Substantial amounts of water are generated by clothes drying, hot showers and baths, and cooking. If it’s not extracted, this moisture stays in the house.

The good news is that there are many simple, low-cost measures homeowners can take to encourage good air circulation and improve the health of their homes.

• The laundry, bathroom and kitchen are all areas where substantial amounts of water are generated. If not extracted, this moisture can lead to mould, which has been linked to asthma and respiratory illnesses. Simple technologies exist to solve these issues: a showerdome or mechanical ventilation system in the bathroom, a rangehood in the kitchen, and adequate extraction for clothes dryers, if vented to the outside, are all effective solutions.
• Take care not to obstruct perimeter wall ventilation, which helps to shift moisture otherwise trapped beneath the house.
• The simplest way to cool a home and flush out toxins is to open doors and windows. Installing strip-passive vents or security stays in windows allows air to enter the home without compromising security.
• Louvres are another great way to encourage air movement.
• If renovating or building a new home, include openable, high-level windows in the design to enable rising warm air to escape.
• Ensure newly built or renovated rooms are vented to the outside during and after renovation to remove toxins. Better still, choose natural non-toxic materials for furniture and textiles, and use low-emission paints and sealants when redecorating.
• Vent gas heaters to the outside - unflued gas heaters emit large quantities of moisture and toxins into the air.