How Proper Ventilation and Insulation Improve Home Comfort
Ventilation and insulation are two things that homeowners rarely ever think about. They also happen to be two very important factors for homeowners’ quality of life. It is often the small, the subtle, and the unseen that do the most good, or the most harm, when talking about something like a home environment. In this post, we’re going to show you how the ways in which ventilation and insulation contribute to the quality of your home environment, and what you can do to help preserve that quality.
Ventilation
Ventilation refers to any means by which air is circulated throughout your house, including air ducts, windows, doors, etc. The windows and doors in your house tend to be rated on how well they actually insulate your home, so we’ll leave that for the next section. With regards to ventilation, the most important part of your home is the air ducts.
Air ducts are the lungs of your home, responsible for circulating air throughout the house. Unfortunately, most ducts are quite neglected because of their unobtrusive natures. Ducts need maintenance as much as any other system in your house. Without regular cleaning and sealing, ducts can easily develop leaks that lead to wasted heat. The US Department of Energy estimates that forced air heating systems lose up to 30% of their heat on average to duct leaks. If you regularly have your ducts serviced by a professional, however, you can drastically improve your ventilation and your indoor air quality.
Insulation
How well your house maintains a comfortable temperature throughout the year depends largely on the quality of its insulation. A well-insulated home will stay warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, while a poorly insulated home will be closer to the temperature outside. Insulation ability can apply to doors and windows, as mentioned above. However, mostly it applies to the material installed in your walls and ceilings. This material serves to hinder heat transfer between the house and the outside environment, allowing your climate control systems to be more effective. It does degrade over time, though, so every couple of years you should have a professional look at it to see if it needs replacing.
If you’d like to know more, call Goettl Good Guys Air Conditioning. We offer ventilation and insulation services throughout Chandler, AZ.