6 Ways to Improve Ventilation in Your Home

Posted by in home energy efficieny, Home Improvements

Unless implemented with the utmost of care, modern building measures designed to maximise space and increase airtightness can leave homes feeling hot and stuffy in the summer and damp in the winter. These top tips will help you improve ventilation in your home whilst preventing heat from escaping.

Why is ventilation important?

6 Ways to Improve Ventilation in Your HomeTemperature control is just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. The correct ventilation will rid your home of excess moisture, minimising costly damp problems and preventing mould from accumulating.

This is especially important if anyone in your family suffers from breathing problems like bronchitis and asthma or certain other allergies. Good air quality is also essential for your mental health, promoting wellbeing and optimising concentration.

In addition, good ventilation prevents smoke, cooking odours and indoor pollutants from sticking to walls, furniture and soft furnishings, leaving your home feeling cleaner and fresher.

How to improve ventilation in your home

3 quick and easy fixes:

  1. Open the windows when carrying out activities involving a lot of heat and/or moisture, such as cooking, hanging up clothes and taking a shower. Keep the door closed to concentrate ventilation and minimise heat loss throughout the rest of the home. The rest of the time, keep all interior doors open to maximise airflow through the building.
  1. Louvre shuttersInstall louvered shutters for added control over ventilation and insulation. Tilt the louvers to the closed position to keep heat in during the winter, and open them in summer for improved airflow. Find out more about louvre shutters here.
  1. Use a ceiling or desk fan to blow the warm air collecting at the top of the room back down to ground level. This can save you money on central heating in the long run.

3 long-term/structural measures:

  1. Check exhaust units in damp-prone areas. Air vents should be located in the kitchen, laundry room and bathrooms to expel excess moisture and prevent damp from building up. Bathrooms and laundry rooms need to be fitted with extractor fans, while your cooker should have an extractor fan linked up to an exterior vent. Many older homes don’t have these measures in place or use them to their full potential, so you may need to seek help from an expert.
  1. Check ventilation in the attic and crawlspace, and in the basement if unfinished. If your attic tends to get hot and humid during the summer, you may need to have additional vents installed in the eaves and ridge of the roof. Again, this is best left to the professionals, as it is likely to require alterations to structural parts of your home.
  1. Keep all vents and exhaust units clear. Exhaust fans can attract a lot of dirt and dust, so clean the grill and fan blades with degreaser at least twice a year to keep them working to their full potential. Blocked vents in the attic, crawlspace and basement can make the attic and subarea overheat, causing condensation to soak the insulation and gradually make its way into the house, so these should also be checked regularly.

More advice on vents and exhaust units can be found here.

Looking to improve ventilation in your home? Don’t have the money to spend on costly structural alterations? Louvered window shutters can make the world of difference, preventing your home from overheating in summer and effectively retaining warmth during the winter.

Call Shutter Design on 01423 359230 to arrange a free, no obligation visit and consultation, available throughout Yorkshire and the North East. Alternatively, visit www.shutterdesign.co.uk for more information on their quality plantation shutters and the service that they offer.