Ventilation

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For something that is so  important, most people don’t put a lot of thought into the air they  breathe.  Instead, we tend to take it for granted, especially here in Northwest Montana where we tend to think our air is pure and clean.  But  what about our indoor air?  The air inside our homes and workplaces?   We believe that because this air is inside, it’s free of the allergens  and irritants that exist outside.  We think of pollution as the smoggy  haze above a metropolitan sky, or smoke billowing from a huge factory.   So short of those few weeks in August when forest fires may smoke up our skies, we give it little thought.  But did you know that indoor air quality can be as much as 100 times more polluted than outside air?   It’s true!  Because indoor air is typically recycled over and over,  whatever is in the air tends to stay there unless it is filtered out. 

The Environmental Protection  Agency says that indoor air pollutants have been ranked among the top 5  environmental risks to public health.  The average American breathes  3,400 gallons of air each day, making ambient air pollution a major  environmental problem.  According to the EPA, the major reasons for poor  indoor air quality are:

The  presence of indoor pollutants such as dust, allergans, mites, carbon  dioxide, bacteria, chemicals, mold spores, household cleaners, asbestos,  cigarette smoke, animal dander and more.
Buildings that were poorly  planned when they were designed or renovated.  Modern buildings are more  efficient and tighter, which is good for energy consumption, but as a  result they are less capable of allowing fresh air in. 
Inadequate  ventilation systems.  A properly trained HVAC technician can help you  choose a ventilation system that will remove most all of the harmful air  pollutants in your home. 
 

 Well that is a great question,  and on the days that you can by all means do!  However, keeping our  indoor air at an optimal level for health cannot rely on being able to  open our windows and simply “let the fresh air in”.  What about rainy  days, the smoke filled days as a result of forest fires or other  controlled burning?  What if you live in an area where you are not  comfortable leaving your windows open while you are away, or while you  sleep? 

Beyond solving the issues mentioned above, a properly  installed ventilation system can also reduce dust in your home and keep  odors from cooking and other activities from lingering embarrassingly in  your home. 

Ask us today what type of ventilation system is right for your home!