With so many airborne pollutants and harmful viruses around these days, ventilating your Dayton-area home is more important than ever. However, delivering equal ventilation to all the rooms in your home isn’t practical unless you have the right whole-home ventilation system in place. Read on to learn about ventilation options to help you decide which one is right for your needs.
Exhaust Ventilation Systems
Exhaust-only ventilation is the simplest system to implement, since it utilizes the exhaust fans you already have installed in your kitchen and bathrooms. However, being the simplest ventilation system, it’s also the least effective for providing whole-home equal ventilation.
Supply Ventilation Systems
Supply-only ventilation consists of one or more fans installed to draw fresh outdoor air into your home. If you have a forced-air central heating and cooling system in place, then the supply-ventilation fans can use the same ductwork and air vents to achieve equal ventilation to all the rooms of your home. The drawback is that it pressurizes the air in your home, which can force conditioned air into unconditioned spaces.
Balanced Ventilation Systems
A balanced ventilation system utilizes both an air intake fan and an exhaust fan to achieve equal ventilation. Your HVAC technician installs this system in your current ductwork. If you don’t have ducts, a duct system will need to be installed as well to achieve equal ventilation to each room. The drawback to balanced ventilation is that it could increase your heating and cooling costs.
ERV and HRV Ventilation Systems
Energy-recovery ventilators (ERVs) and heat-recovery ventilators (HRVs) provide the most benefits for better comfort and good indoor air quality while delivering equal ventilation. ERVs and HRVs use your existing ductwork, which ensures airflow is balanced throughout your home. They also have a heat-exchanger core that transfers heat energy between fresh supply air and stale exhaust air. ERVs differ from HRVs in that they also help mitigate high or low humidity levels in your home.
For more information about achieving equal ventilation with an HRV or ERV in your Dayton-area home, please contact Ace Hardware Home Services today!
