Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning is in the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) business. Every homeowner is familiar with the “H” and “AC” portions of that acronym, but people often know much less about the “V.” Even so, ventilation plays a crucial role in the comfort and health of your indoor environment, especially during summer. Today we’re going to familiarize you with home ventilation and provide you with a few summer ventilation tips for your home!
Why is ventilation important in your home during summer?
Before the early 1970’s, energy was much cheaper than it became in the decades to follow. As a result, there was much less attention paid to making homes airtight, and homes that were built in those early days benefited from the natural ventilation produced by cracks, gaps and openings in their foundations.
Nowadays, homes are built extremely tight with as few air leaks as possible. This is a great thing for energy conservation, but it also means that today’s homes face a ventilation problem. This is particularly problematic during the hot summers here in the St. Louis area, when windows and doors are usually tightly sealed.
Without a way to properly ventilate your home during summer, your home will feel stuffy, your humidity levels are likely to be higher and your air can become unhealthy. This is all because there is no way to exchange stale and contaminated indoor air with fresh air from outside.
Summer ventilation tips for your St. Louis area home
- Open windows on cool days and nights. The most cost-effective way to ventilate your home is to open your doors and windows. This will allow for the free exchange of indoor and outdoor air. This is not always practical because of how hot it gets during summer and because of the energy that would be wasted if your air conditioner was running. That’s why the best times to open up your home are on cool days and nights when your air conditioner is turned off.
- Use spot ventilation fans. Your bathrooms and kitchen likely have spot ventilation fans, and for good reason! These fans will carry out the moisture and other contaminants that are commonly added to the air when those rooms are in use. Be sure to use spot ventilation fans whenever you are cooking or bathing to help ventilate your home.
If you have any questions about summer ventilation in your home, or if you’d like a cooling system serviced or installed, contact Jerry Kelly Heating & Air Conditioning, your St. Louis air conditioning contractor. We service the St. Louis area, including towns like St. Charles, Wentzville, and Winghaven, MO.
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